Willmar Rebrand For Two Game Series Against Rox

In game one, the Stingers will be the “Alexandria Beetles”. Current Willmar owner Ryan Voz was the previous general manager of the Beetles who were established in 2001. This game will be played in honor of the Alexandria franchise at Knute Nelson Memorial Park on June 22.

For Willmar, the player to watch will be infielder Kyle Payne (Northwest Nazarene University) who is batting .407 with 24 hits in 17 games. As a team, Willmar is batting .293 and has driven in 176 runs. Payne led his team to the conference tournament where they were defeated by No. 1 seed Western Oregon.

For Saint Cloud, the player to watch will be infielder Jackson Hauge (Minnesota State Mankato). Hauge led his Mankato team to the Division II College Super Regional and will be playing against some familiar faces in teammates Mitch Gutknecht, Aidan Byrne and Zach Stroh. Hauge is batting .318 collecting 21 hits and 17 RBI in 17 games this season. As a team, the Rox are batting .256.

On the hill, Stingers fans will see Clay Beaumont (Northeast Community College). Beaumont (3-1) has a 4.91 ERA, 12 SO, 9 BB in 11.0 innings of work. Beaumont made 12 appearances and pitched 30.2 innings at NECC as a freshman. As a team, the Willmar pitching staff has struck out 187 batters and has an ERA of 3.69.

On the hill, Rox fans are likely to see Piercen McElyea (Tarleton State University). McElyea last pitched against the La Crosse Loggers where he was credited the 4-1 win after pitching 6.0 complete innings of work. McElyea set down seven batters, walked three batters and had no accredited runs tacked onto his outing. He last pitched against the Stingers at Bill Taunton Stadium during a series earlier this month. As a team, the Rox Pitching Staff has struck out 215 batters and has an ERA of 3.87.

Game 1 will be played at Knute Nelson Memorial Park at 7:05 while Game 2 will be played back in Willmar on Friday at Bill Taunton Stadium for another 7:05 first pitch.

For more coverage of the Stingers, visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.

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The Willmar Stingers 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. Now in its’ 30thseason, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB 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.willmarstingers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Stingers as your favorite team.