Waterloo, IA – With the 2024 regular season coming to a close, the Waterloo Bucks were one of the toughest teams to beat in the Great Plains Division as they finished with a 37-32 record on the season, including the second-best overall record in the East Division at only one game behind the Duluth Huskies.

Playing only 69 games in the 2024 season, the second consecutive season under the winningest field manager in Bucks history, Darrell Handelsman, Waterloo had a very similar outcome to the 2023 season matching the 37-win total overall. The 2024 season was memorable for Handlesman and for the Bucks organization overall. Handlesman reached the career mark of the winningest coach in Bucks history and 500 total career victories in June.  The Bucks organization reached its 1,000th career victory on July 11th after a 15-8 win over the Thunder Bay Border Cats.

In the first half of the season, the Bucks started with a 0-5 start, but after a big victory at the Kenosha Kingfish on June 1st, the first half turned into the season of the Bucks. Holding all spots in the first-half standings placement in the East, the record finished at the beginning of July at 19-14, which was best for second place at only 2.5 games back from first.

In the second half of the season, the Great Plains East would continue to be close from top to bottom in the standings and would stay the most competitive of any other Division until the final day of the regular season.

The Bucks finished at an even 18-18 in the second half of the season, finishing tied for third in the standings to end the second half of the season, 3.5 games out of first place.

There were plenty of accolades to hand out to players on the 2024 Bucks team, including some returning All-Stars and record-breaking new faces.

There were two mid-season All-Stars for the 2024 season: newcomer outfielder Larry Edwards Jr. and returning All-Star closer Chaney Trout.

Edwards Jr. started with the Bucks from game one of the season through the All-Star break, before leaving with a wrist injury. A fan favorite of the Waterloo faithful from day one, Edwards brought home the 2024 Waterloo Bucks Player of the Year Award as voted on by Bucks Season Ticket Holders for his incredible play on the field and his bright and welcoming personality to all Bucks fans. Edwards hit at a .337 average in 47 games while collecting 15 doubles, six home runs, 41 RBI, and 23 stolen bases.

Trout, in his second year with the Bucks, picked up where he left off in 2023 and then added a bit more sauce to his game. With a 1.55 ERA in 25 appearances and a 3-1 record to go along with seven saves which was best for second overall in the Northwoods League season. Trout was later nominated to the 2024 NWL Postseason All-Star Team for his overall performance as one of the best arms in all of the league.

The Bucks had many players get into the top 10 of all-time stats for the Northwoods League including returners Marcus Heusohn and Trout and newcomer Lucas Moore.

Heusohn ended the season not just in the top 10 of Waterloo Bucks stats, but in the top 3 for two different categories. The first category is runs in a single season, Heusohn scored 59 runs in his 2024 campaign which is only three shy of first place that is held by Chesney Young who had 62 runs scored in the 2013 season. The second is career walks by a Bucks player. After two years with the organization, Heusohn ends 2024 with 109 total walks with the team which inches him closer to first place that is held by Pat MacKenzie who had 103 from 2013-2014.

Moore wasted no time getting into the record book in his first year with the Bucks. The University of Louisville product ended with 85 hits on the summer which places him in the top seven of all-time Bucks players. Along with his hits, he etched his name into the record books with stolen bases. Moore’s 48 stolen bases in 2024 put him at first in the single-season stolen bases record and the top six for stolen bags overall.

Trout’s second season added some team records along with his incredible play on the diamond. Trout, who has 47 appearances over two seasons, puts himself in the top six appearances. Along with 10 saves in two seasons, he sits at 10th in Bucks history in overall saves.

Even with the incredible play on the field for the entire 2024 staff, the most important part of the season was the support from the incredible fans. Whether it was packing the seats at Riverfront Stadium for every home game, watching along at home when unable to support in person, or even commenting and keeping up with the Bucks on different social media platforms, the support of the fans kept the Bucks always playing with their hearts on their sleeves.

We can’t thank you enough for the support all season, and we cannot wait to see you all at Riverfront Stadium for the start of the 2025 season!