Written by Dain Solberg

Photo Courtesy of Dennis Benson

The Matchup: The Willmar Stingers (20-6) will take on the Minnesota Mud Puppies (16-10) for a two game series on June 26 and 27 at Bill Taunton Stadium.

By The Numbers: The Stingers are currently leading the league in RBI (172). Individually, Kyle Payne (Northwest Nazarene University) leads Willmar hitters with 20 RBI in 20 games.

Players To Watch: Catcher Graysen Tarlow (California State Northridge) will be the player to watch. Tarlow reported to Willmar in early June and has been noticed quickly producing 12 hits in 34 AB’s and has a .353 batting average. He has split time between catcher and first base with Northwoods League Veteran Drey Dirksen (Augustana University) who is on the radar for the upcoming MLB Draft in Seattle, WA. As a team, the Stingers are batting .279.

For Minnesota, The player to watch is infielder Isaac Nett (Southwest Minnesota State University). Nett currently has a .522 batting average and has driven in seven runs and crossed the plate ten times and has collected 12 hits in 23 ABs. Nett was a transfer from Minnesota State Mankato and was named to the All-NSIC first team a season ago. As a team, the Mud Puppies are batting .266.

Probable Pitchers: On the hill, Stingers fans will likely see Nate Zyzda (Northeast Community College) who has a 6.19 ERA. Zyzda has a 1-1 record in four appearances including 12 strikeouts and allowed eight free passes in 16.0 innings of work. As a team, Willmar posts a 3.51 ERA.

On the hill, Mud Puppies fans will see Jacob Mrosko (St. Thomas) who has a 6.19 ERA. Mrosko has a 1-1 record in three appearances and has collected 19 strikeouts and only allowed five free passes in 16.0 innings of work. As a team, Minnesota posts a 7.87 ERA.

Keys To The Series:

• Strike First
• Speed on Basepaths 
• Shut down pitching (recent performances from Colleran and Bayne)

Home Cooking: Stingers fans have gotten their money’s worth inside of Bill Taunton Stadium at Baker Field. Willmar has won four of the last five home games. They have won these games in decisive fashion scoring a total of 23 runs.

Back to the Beehive: There is a familiar face coming back to Willmar in Carson Hake. Hake wore the black and yellow last season and will be playing against his former team this season in the Mud Puppies Red and Black. The Bloomington native has 11 RBI in 11 games and is batting .175.

First Pitch: Both games will be played at 7:05 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.

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.