Stingers and Rox Set To Clash Before All-Star Break

The Matchup: The Willmar Stingers (39-13) will take on their rival in the Saint Cloud Rox (32-20) for a single game before a league wide off day for the Great Lakes All-Star game in Traverse City.

Players To Watch: Kevin Fitzer (California State Northridge) will be the player to watch for Willmar. Fitzer posts a .289 batting average and has 50 hits this season. On Sunday against Thunder Bay Fitzer boosted that average finishing with two doubles on the day.

Haiden Hunt (University of Nebraska-Omaha) will be the player in the spotlight for the Rox. Through 26 at-bats he sports a .269 batting average which includes seven RBI and one extra base hit.

Tonight’s Pitchers: Sam Malec (University of Minnesota) will get the call for Willmar. Malec will make his fourth appearance this summer. Thus far he posts a 4.73 ERA with eight strikeouts and 11 free passes in 13.1 innings.

Wes Burton (Indiana University-Bloomington) will get the nod from the Rox coaching staff. Burton has a 6.06 ERA and has struckout 21 batters and allowed 23 free passes in 16.1 innings.

Last Meeting: The Stingers swept St. Cloud at Joe Faber by scores of 2-0 and 13-9. Both games had a story. Game one had a near perfect game from Willmar Pitcher Chris Rofe (Mount Marty University) and a last second grab from Outfielder Andrew Sojka (California State Northridge) that saved the game for the Stingers. In game 2, the STC ace Piercen McElyea (Tarleton State University) was taken out of the game after 35 pitches which led to Willmar at one point taking an eight run lead.

Keys To The Series:

Shutdown Pitching
Take Down STC Top Four
Lean On Sojka and Fitzer

Stingers Addition: Willmar added a fourth catcher to the lineup in Nick Poss (University of California- Riverside). Poss has been swapping in and out of the DH spot with Zach Stroh (Minnesota State-Mankato). Offensively, he has made an impact in the Willmar lineup which is scattered with power hitters. On Saturday, Poss went 1-for-2 and added two walks on his day by being patient at the dish.

A Look At STC: The Rox swept the Bismarck Larks by scores of 4-3 both nights. They were led by a combined three hits from the top of the order in Oscar Serratos Jr. (Biola University), Jose Gonzalez (Ave Maria University) and our player to watch in Haiden Hunt (University of Nebraska-Omaha).

First Pitch: Tonight’s contest will be played at 7:05 on ESPN + 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.

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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 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.