Willmar, MN – The Willmar Stingers announce the signing of four more players for the 2024 Northwoods League season. The Stingers will be adding two athletes from Indiana Wesleyan, Drue Young (Jr.) and Will Eldridge (So.). They will be joined by Paradise Valley Community College pitcher and Willmar local Ian Koosman. Rounding out the group is freshman catcher Jack Taxdahl from the University of Minnesota.

Young, from Greenwood Indiana, is playing in his third year for the Wildcats. The starting pitcher is putting together his best season yet in 2024. Through ten games started he holds a 5-2 record with 61 Innings Pitched. The right hander has held the opposition to a batting average against of .233. The limited offensive production has resulted in a 3.84 ERA, 61 Ks and 21 BB.

The 2023 season saw Young earn “All-Crossroads League 1 st team” honors. That season was highlighted by being selected as the “All-Crossroads Pitcher of the Week” which he followed up with a nine-strikeout outing against Bethel later than month. His career as a Wildcat has amassed into 34 GS, 218.1 IP, with a strikeout to walk ratio at 207/70. Young has shown he can give his rotation multiple innings with a healthy mix of swing and miss pitches.

Eldridge, the right-handed Wildcat is in his second year at Indiana Wesleyan. This season has seen him predominately out of the bullpen. Eldridge is off to a strong start in 2024. In six appearances he has thrown 13.1 innings, holding the opposing batters so a batting average against of .170. This season’s performance is capped by an ERA of .68 paired with 21 Ks and only eight walks. In his previous season, Eldridge was primarily a starter. He appeared in 18 games with 15 of those being starts. Across 70.1 IP he tallied 89 Ks with only a .189 batting average against. His 2023 freshman year
resulted in accolades, such as, “Crossroads League Co-Newcomer of the Year” and “All Crossroads League 2 nd Team”. This first season was highlighted by three outings with 10 Ks. These were against Lewis-Clark State in the NAIA World Series (5/26), against Huntingdon (4/20), and against Goshen (3/20).

Koosman, Willmar native, is playing in his second year of collegiate baseball. 2024 is his first season with Paradise Valley. As a Puma, Koosman has appeared 12 games, tallying 46 IP. Swing and miss has been a large factor of his game. The righty has racked up 54 Ks with only 17 BB. Opposing batters have only mustered 39 hits resulting in an ERA of 1.76 with a WHIP at 1.22. His freshman season was with Scottsdale Community College. As an Artichoke, he pitched in 16 games with 27.2 IP. In those innings pitched he racked up 40 Ks, averaging 13.01 Ks/9 with an ERA of 2.93. The Stingers will be welcoming Koosman back to his hometown to play for the team for the first time this summer.

Taxdahl, Gopher catcher, started at the U of M after a terrific high school career at Cretin-Derham Hall. His alma-mater has produced multiple high level baseball players. Taxdahl is coming from the same school as Twins legends Joe Mauer and Paul Molitor. The backup backstop is continuing to learn the game and improve is skillset at the college level. Under the leadership of starting catcher Sam Hunt and head coach John Anderson. The Willmar Stingers are looking forward to bringing Taxdahl to Bill Taunton Stadium, adding more depth and options behind the plate for manager Freddy Smith.

These four additions are adding three pitchers and a catcher. All these arms have been proven pieces at each of their schools. The Stingers are getting three pitchers with high swing and miss rates paired with low ERAs. Taxdahl will be one of the options to call the games and help these pitchers go deep into starts, keeping the opposing team in the dugout and not crossing the plate.

Season ticket packages, group tickets, and Kwik Trip 5-game and 7-game plans are available. The Kwik Trip ticket plans include premium select games throughout the summer that includes the 2024 Home Opener and Fan Appreciation Night. For more information and for other stories on the Willmar Stingers click here to visit wctrib.com, your
official information source for Stingers Baseball. Visit willmarstingers.com or call 320-222-2010 to reserve your seats today. The 2024 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 31th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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.