Stingers Wrap Up Four Game Home Stand Against Bismarck

The Matchup: The Willmar Stingers (22-6) will welcome the Bismarck Larks (13-15) for a two game series at Bill Taunton Stadium on June 28 and June 29.

Players To Watch: For Willmar, the player to watch is infielder Jack Hines (Augustana University). Hines is batting .351 and has collected 13 hits and four RBI in 11 games. Hines went 2-for-4 in game one of the Mud Puppies series.

For Bismarck, the player to watch is Brock Kleszcz (University of California- San Diego) who is leading the team with a .444 batting average. Kleszcz has tallied four hits and two runs in nine games thus far for the Larks.

Probable Pitchers: Willmar fans will see Michael Chevalier (Northern State University). In five appearances Chevalier (3-1) has a 1.93 ERA tallying 16 strikeouts and allowing six free passes.

Bismarck fans will see Garrett Yawn (Long Island University). Yawn (1-1) has a 9.31 ERA along with eight strikeouts and eight free passes in 9.2 innings of work.

Late Game Heroics: The Willmar Stingers won the last two games against the Mud Puppies in walk off fashion by coming from behind in extra innings.

Willmar vs Bismarck: The Stingers have faced the Larks four times this season both at Bill Taunton Stadium and in Bismarck. Willmar has swept both series thus far in 2023.

New Arm: Willmar adds a new arm to the rotation in Sam Malec (University of Minnesota). Malec made seven appearances for the Golden Gophers, striking out 14 hitters and allowing ten free passes in 27.2 innings of work.

Games To Clinch: The Stingers are able to clinch the Great Plains West first half throughout this series (the magic number is one after sweeping the Mud Puppies)

Keys to the Series:

Lean on Hines (2-for-4 performance against the Mud Puppies)
Draw Walks (23 free passes during Honkers Series)
Shut down Perry (batting .333 against Willmar)

First Pitch: Both games will be played at 7:05 at Bill Taunton Stadium.

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

The 2023 season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group, empowering investors with powerful financial advice.

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 30th season, 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.