Written by Dain Solberg

Photo Courtesy of Dennis Benson

The Matchup: The Willmar Stingers (32-12) welcome the Minnesota Mud Puppies (7-18) for the second time this season. This weekend will be a slate of two games.

Players To Watch: Andrew Sojka (California State Northridge) will be the player in the spotlight. Sojka posts a .326 batting average and has tacked on 15 hits and 10 RBI in 46 at-bats. 

Isaac Nett (Southwest Minnesota State University) has led the Mud Puppies with a .522 batting average 12 hits and 10 runs in 23 at-bats.

Tonight’s Pitchers: Luke Schafer (Indiana University Southeast) will make his second appearance this season for Willmar. Schafer struck out one after facing 19 batters in 3.2 innings in his last outing. Schafer posts a 4.91 ERA.

Josh Dykhoff (University of Minnesota-Crookston) will likely be the arm called upon for Minnesota. Dykhoff will make his sixth appearance. Dykhoff has struck out 18 batters in 22.0 innings of work and posts a 2.86 ERA.

Last Meeting: The last matchup between these two respective clubs landed in Willmar’s favor. The Stingers swept the Mud Puppies by scores of 6-7 and 5-4.

Keys To The Series

• Lean on Sojka 

• Finish Strong on the bump 

• Contain Nett (Player in Spotlight)

Biewen Debut: Last night Adam Biewen (Gustavus Adolphus College) made his debut for the Stingers. Biewen pitched 2.0 innings to close the contest out with three strikeouts after facing nine hitters.

First Pitch: Both games will be played at Bill Taunton Stadium. Game one will be played at 7:05 and game two will take place at 5:05.

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.