Stingers Travel South To Take On Moondogs

The Matchup: The Willmar Stingers (26-10) will take on the Mankato Moondogs (20-17) for a two game series this weekend at ISG field on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College.

New Faces to Beehive: Fans will see eight new faces in Willmar for the second half of the season. These newcomers include Aiden Hansen (Minnesota State- Mankato), Andrew Sojka (California State University Northridge), Luke Schafer (Indiana University Southeast), Ethan Stade (Minnesota State- Mankato), Aaron Ragat (El Camino College), Tom Sun (Augustana University), Hunter Magnuson (Valley City State University), and Jonathan Zayas (Northwest Nazarene University)

Players to Watch: Stone Miyao (University of Hawaii) will be the player to watch in this weekend’s series. Miyao was named the MinnWest Technology player of the game in game two of the Eau Claire Series. Miyao is currently posting a .317 batting average and has 18 RBI in 26 games this season.

Kai Roberts (University of Utah) will be the slugger for Mankato fans to keep an eye on. Roberts has a .362 batting average and 23 hits in 18 games. This will be Roberts second season in the Northwoods League with the Moondogs. In 2022, was part of the Major League Dreams Showcase.

Tonight’s Starting Pitchers:

Chris Rofe (Mount Marty College) will make his first start in the Northwoods League this season. Rofe has primarily been a bullpen arm for the Stingers. Rofe (3-0) has 24 strikeouts in nine relief appearances and posts a 1.04 ERA.

Derrick Smith (North Carolina State University) will be on the bump for the Moondogs. Smith (4-0) pitched in the last meeting between these Great Plains Division foes. Smith took part in a 12-3 victory over Rochester where he allowed two earned runs in five innings of work. This season Smith has an ERA of under three (2.74).

Keys to the Series:

Cash in with Runners on Base
Lean on Miyao and Payne
Contain Roberts

Last Meeting: The Stingers last played Mankato in early June. Willmar came out of the series unscathed sweeping the Moondogs by scores of 5-2 and 9-2 in front of their home fans inside the friendly confines of Bill Taunton Stadium.

First Pitch: This weekend’s series will be a two game series. First Pitch for both contests will be at 6.35 and 5:05 in Mankato at ISG field.

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.