Waterloo, IA – The Bucks had a roller coaster of a season with highs and lows in 2026 that included milestone moments, and record-breaking performances. The season began at home on Memorial Day with the opening series of the season against Thunder Bay. Caleb Seibers walked off the Border Cats in the second game of the season for Waterloo’s first win in the tenth inning to catapult the Bucks to a 5-2 record in the month of May.

In June, Waterloo won the second game of the month but followed that with a six-game losing streak. An extra inning walk off and then a sweep of the Mud Puppies provided reprieve before La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Rochester swept the Bucks to knock Waterloo out of first half playoff contention. At the end of June, the team sat with a record of 11-19, but Bucks fans were fired up because hometown kid Colin Coonradt was selected to both the Northwoods League Home Run Challenge and the All-Star Game in Dyersville, Iowa at the Field of Dreams Movie Site.

As July got underway, Waterloo came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. They started the month 9-1 and they were in first place in the Great Plains East Division. A six-game winning streak put them right in the midst of a three-horse race with Rochester and Eau Claire fighting for the second half playoff spot. After a series split with Kenosha, the Bucks hit their roughest stretch of the season. Eight losses in a row to La Crosse and Willmar in two-game series, then a four-game series against Eau Claire at Riverfront Stadium went the way of the Express. Finally, one more loss to Rochester capped off a ten-game skid to drop Waterloo out of playoff position.

In the mix of it all, eighth year field manager Darrell Handelsman earned his 300th win with Waterloo and 900th win in his summer-collegiate ball career.

In the home stretch of the season, Caleb Parker took over the spotlight. Parker became an everyday player at the top of the order who appeared in 65 of the team’s 69 games in 2026. He led the Bucks in average (.326), hits (90), runs (44), doubles (13), and RBI (66). A model of consistency with Waterloo, Parker proved his prowess with excellent bat control and timely hitting. He knocked in at least one RBI in the last five games and in 17 of the last 20 games in 2026. He came into the final series of the year in Eau Claire one RBI shy of the Bucks single-season franchise record. In the top of the ninth inning of the penultimate game of the year, Parker knocked in Larry Edwards to tie the record, then the very next day posted a three-hit game with two RBIs to end his year with 66, a new franchise record for most in a single season.  Parker finished the season leading the league in hits with 90 and his 276 at bats set a new single-season team record.

Larry Edwards came back for his third year with Waterloo and stole 51 bases to bring his career total up to 141, extending his franchise leading tally. In his second season with the Bucks, Mitchell Iliff was the team leader in home runs with 8 as a staple of Waterloo’s lineup most of the season. Nate Berzonski led all pitchers with four wins this season and struck out 41 batters, the most on the team. Berzonski showed incredible growth following his freshman season at Mt. St. Mary’s. Third year Buck Sam Skarich led all qualified arms with an ERA of 2.16, two wins and saved four games to boot. Sam Hanson appeared in the most games as a pitcher with 19 games in his second season with Waterloo.

With a record of 14-20 in the first half and 16-19 in the second, Waterloo missed the playoffs and finished with an overall record of 30-39. As a team, the Bucks were a tight knit group that loved to play baseball with each other each and every day. Although their record wasn’t where they wanted it to be, the growth and maturity shown by this group was impressive in its own right. The Bucks will be back in 2027 to kick off the 33rd summer of Waterloo Bucks baseball in the ‘Loo.