Waterloo, Iowa – The 30th season of Waterloo Bucks baseball will open up the season against the Willmar Stingers on Monday, May 27th, 2024. Field Manager Darrell Handelsman will return for the 2024 season after his Bucks team went 37-31 in the summer of 2023. This will be Handelsman’s sixth season with the Waterloo Bucks in his 20-plus year coaching career. Additionally, coaches Jack Nathan, Matt Rehfeldt, and Caleb Millikan will round out the Bucks’ four-man coaching staff.
Darrell Handelsman
Handelsman returned to the Bucks in 2023 after taking a 21-year gap between stints. Handelsman started his first tenure with the Bucks in 1999 and stayed through the 2002 season. In this tenure, Handelsman won two consecutive NWL Manager of the Year awards and a NWL Title in the summer of 2002. Handelsman also has another title with
the Madison Mallards in 2004.
Handelsman has garnered 792 career wins over the Northwoods, Coastal Plains, and Prospect Leagues. Of his career wins, 197 have come as the skipper for Waterloo, making him the winningest manager in Bucks history. Handelsman looks to continue the Bucks’ growth after a 37 win 2023 season which was a 21 win improvement from the 2022 season.
Jack Nathan
Nathan returns to Waterloo for his second season after the 2023 saw him as not only an assistant manager, but a pitcher for the Bucks’ out of necessity while continuing to do his coaching duties under Handelsman. Nathan, a former pitcher at High Point University, concluded his playing days in 2023 after a five-year college career with the Panthers. Nathan currently coaches at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa.
Matt Rehfeldt
Rehfedlt joins the Bucks’ 2024 coaching staff after his first year as an assistant coach with the Kalamazoo College baseball program. Prior to joining Kalamazoo, Rehfeldt served as the varsity pitching coach for South Lyon East High School, an assistant for Team Elite travel baseball, and a private instructor at EL1 in Clinton Township, MI. Before becoming a coach, Rehfeldt graduate from Olivet College (now the University of Olivet) where he was a pitcher for the Commets.
Caleb Millikan
Millikan joins the coaching staff after finishing his Graduate year as a member of the Hawaii-Pacific baseball team. Coming out of Berkley, CA, Millikan looks to dip his foot into the coaching game after concluding his college eligibility with the Sharks.
This year’s Opening Day roster features players from all different levels of college baseball and across all different sections of the United States and Canada.
Out of the 30 plus players signed to contracts for the Bucks, 11 of them are returning players from the summer of 2023: pitcher Ethan Alexander (McPherson College), catcher Charlie Bogue (UW-Whitewater), pitcher Andrew Dusablon (University of Evansville), infielder Marcus Heusohn (University of Illinois-Chicago), pitcher Eli Lehrman (Des Moines Area CC), pitcher Thomas Leiden (Grambling State), utility Evan Morrison (McPherson College), utility Sam Skarich (Southeastern CC), outfielder Christian Smith (University of Illinois), pitcher Chaney Trout (Eastern Illinois), and infielder Ben Wilmes (University of Iowa).
Along with the returners, the roster features eight players from Power Five schools: Previously mentioned players, Christian Smith and Ben Wilmes, catcher Solen Munson (Texas Tech University), catcher Zach Mazoch (Baylor University), pitcher Ganon Archer (University of Iowa), pitcher Ryan Gold (University of Georgia), pitcher Wyatt Land
(University of Georgia), outfielder Lucas Moore (University of Louisville). Out of the eight players, three hail from the Big10 Conference, two from the Big12 Conference, two from the SEC, and one from the ACC.
For the opening of the season, the roster is set to have a five-man starting rotation consisting of Aidan Elfering (University of Dubuque), Landen Harless (North Central Texas), Braden Gluth (Creighton University), Brendon Carter (Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa), and Jacob Phillips (Guilford College).
The Bucks open their 30th season of play versus the Willmar Stingers at Riverfront Stadium on Monday, May 27. Tickets are currently available by calling the Bucks Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633 or online: https://waterloo-bucks.nwltickets.com/SingleGame/Tickets. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.
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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 350 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.
