Written by Dain Solberg

Willmar, MN- The 2023 Great Plains All-Star game will be held at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark in Bismarck, ND. This will be a two day event with the home run derby taking place on July 31 and the game itself occurring on August 1.

The Stingers had 5 players selected for this year’s event. These players were Infielders Stone Miyao, Drey Dirksen, Kevin Fitzer, Kyle Payne and Pitcher Chris Rofe.

Stone Miyao (University of Hawaii) is batting .322 and has 47 hits and 28 RBI in 36 games. Miyao was named Northwoods player of the night on July 13 for his breakout performance against Minot where he went 4-for-5. Collegiately, Miyao was named to the Big-West First team in the spring.

Drey Dirksen (Augustana University) is batting .336 and has 37 hits and 27 RBI in 26 games. The hometown kid gave Willmar a go-ahead lead in game one of the Rochester series with a solo home run. Collegiately, Dirksen led Augustana to the Division II NCAA playoffs.

Kevin Fitzer (California State Northridge) is batting .280 and has 44 hits and 39 RBI in 40 games. Fitzer leads all Willmar hitters in doubles season with 13. Collegiately, Fitzer has played alongside fellow CSUN teammates Graysen Tarlow and newcomer Andrew Sojka in the Northwoods League this summer.

Kyle Payne (Northwest Nazarene University) is batting .343 and has 36 hits and 31 RBI in 29 games. Payne returned from injury in early July and has picked up where he left off in the recent days at Bill Taunton Stadium. Collegiately, Payne led his team in hitting bringing them to the NCAA tournament.

Chris Rofe (Mount Marty University) has made 11 appearances and posts a record of 3-0 including two saves where he has struck out 33 batters in 25.2 winnings of work. Rofe currently sits with a 2.45 ERA. Rofe is a go-getter and stated “I always like to get the ball, and have my number called to pitch” from Stingers field manager Freddy Smith.

The Great Plains West team will be coached by the Willmar Stingers Coaching Staff in Freddy Smith, Mason Rapp and Michael Newstrom.

Willmar players will look to put their bats on display in front of the fans in Bismarck.

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.