Written by Dain Solberg

Photo Courtesy of Dennis Benson

The Matchup: The Willmar Stingers (41-15) will welcome the Waterloo Bucks (30-26) to Bill Taunton Stadium for the first time this season and will host a two-game series on July 29 and July 30.

Players To Watch: Luke Williams (University of Alabama) will be the player to watch for the Stingers. Williams is sporting a .302 batting average and has 27 RBI in 39 games.

Cole Hill (Stephen F. Austin State University) will be the player in the spotlight for the Bucks’ hill posts an impressive .335 batting average that combines with 55 hits and 36 RBI.

Two Additions: The Stingers added two faces to the lineup in Jake Hjelle (University of Minnesota- Crookston) who played in the first half and is currently batting .314 and has 22 hits in 17 games. The other addition to the Willmar lineup is Jack Spanier (University of Minnesota). Spanier made his Stinger debut last night crossing the plate three times in a 1-for-2 performance that included three walks.

Tonight’s Pitchers: Luke Schafer (Indiana Southeast) will get the ball from Stinger’s manager Freddy Smith. Schafer (2-0) posts a 2.45 ERA and will make his fourth appearance of the season. On the year, he has totaled 17 strikeouts and allowed 7 free passes facing 59 hitters.

Ethan Bell (University of Evansville) will be on the bump for Waterloo. Bell (1-1) has a 3.00 ERA and will be making his fifth appearance for the Bucks Bell has eight strikeouts and surrendered seven walks in 2023.

Last Meeting: The Bucks and the Stingers last played in early June at Riverfront Stadium where Willmar blanked Waterloo by scores of 9-0 and 5-0 to sweep the road series.

Keys To The Series:

•  Spanier Continuing momentum after debut. 
• Keep offense going early.
• Shutdown bullpen

First Pitch: Both games will be played at Bill Taunton Stadium. Game one will take place at 7:05. Game two will be played at 5:05 (Sunday games occur two hours before regular first pitch).

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.