{"id":21235,"date":"2026-08-05T12:30:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T17:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/willmar-stingers\/?p=21235"},"modified":"2026-08-05T11:17:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:17:00","slug":"adopted-hometown-hero-how-a-summer-in-willmar-continues-to-impact-brooks-lees-big-league-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/willmar-stingers\/2026\/08\/05\/adopted-hometown-hero-how-a-summer-in-willmar-continues-to-impact-brooks-lees-big-league-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Adopted Hometown Hero: How a Summer in Willmar Continues to Impact Brooks Lee’s Big League Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the highest honors in the Minnesota Twins organization is winning the Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award.<\/span><\/p>\n

The award is given to recognize one player each offseason for outstanding community involvement and on-field performance, according to the team\u2019s website.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Brooks Lee was named the recipient of the Pohlad Award after the 2025 season, it was a testament to the bonds he built within the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota in just two years at the major league level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee helped initiate a \u201creverse autograph session\u201d in July that season, where the organization welcomed nine kids from Gillette Children\u2019s Hospital and 14 Twins players asked for their autographs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He also gave back to the community by participating in the organization\u2019s Holiday Week of Giving in 2024 and volunteering at several youth baseball clinics during the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the former top prospect took part in the team\u2019s Winter Caravan, traveling across Twins Territory to interact with fans around the state and the upper Midwest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That final act brought him back to the place where his connection to the Land of 10,000 Lakes began taking root: Willmar, Minnesota.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlikely Beginnings<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Willmar Stingers weren\u2019t Brooks Lee\u2019s first option for the summer of 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

He initially stayed at Cal Poly to work out and fully recover after a surgery on his knee the previous October left him at less than full strength during the dramatically shortened college baseball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a couple pinch hits and he was going to be my starting shortstop in a four-game series at home against Oklahoma,\u201d Cal Poly head coach and Brooks\u2019 father Larry Lee said, \u201cAnd that Thursday, the entire season shut down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Lee got back to full playing shape, the team decided he was ready to gain back the experience he missed out on that spring with a season of summer ball.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cal Poly\u2019s first two options for Lee, the Cape Cod Baseball League and the Alaska Baseball League (chosen that summer for its distance from the continental United States and smaller, more remote population), both opted to shut down for the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The program then talked to the Eau Claire Express and manager Dale Varsho, who has a long relationship with Cal Poly and Larry Lee. The only problem: the Express would soon shut down for the summer, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout a day later, he said that he thought the city was going to shut down their ballpark for the summer,\u201d Larry Lee said, \u201cbut he gave me Ryan\u2019s contact information and said there might be a chance there, and that\u2019s what happened; contacted Ryan, got [Brooks] placed.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Voz, the longtime co-owner of the Stingers, had heard high praise for the talented young shortstop \u2013 who passed up on multi-million dollar offers and going as high as the first round in the MLB Draft out of San Luis Obispo High School to play for his father at Cal Poly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, Voz entered the summer with some skepticism \u2013 both of the reported dollar amount and Lee\u2019s prodigious talent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Yeah, right.\u2019 Like, who passes up on $3 million to go play college baseball?,\u201d Voz said. \u201cI thought, \u2018There\u2019s no way this kid\u2019s that good that he was offered $3 million.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee was solid but not spectacular during the first portion of the season, which began in early July that summer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis stats were very similar to most of the guys for the first third of the season,\u201d Voz said, \u201cAnd then you saw something kind of clicked, and then he started to stand out amongst the other guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brooks Lee makes a play in the field for the Stingers at Bill Taunton Stadium during the 2020 season. — photo courtesy of Dennis Benson<\/p><\/div>\n

Lee ended the season with a\u00a0 .345 batting average alongside 35 runs batted in and also built an 18-game hitting streak.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou started realizing how long the hit streak was, where the batting average was. And then you saw a home run right-handed, a home run left-handed,\u201d Voz said, \u201cand then you thought, you know what, this kid\u2019s pretty special. But he still has a lot to prove because he hasn\u2019t played a lot in college.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee removed any remaining doubt with his performance as a redshirt freshman, earning All-American honors and being named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the 2022 season, when he was named the nation\u2019s top shortstop as the winner of the Brooks Wallace Award, Lee established himself as one of the top players in college baseball \u2013 and a top prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

He credited his summer in Willmar with helping him make the jump that put him on a trajectory to becoming one of college baseball\u2019s top stars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was huge for my development,\u201d Lee said ahead of a July 26 matchup with the Athletics at Target Field, \u201cI just wanted to prove myself \u2013 that I could play with the need that I had \u2013 and it was a good summer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Lee, the restrictions of playing baseball during the pandemic actually helped the team create a stronger bond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey recruited a bunch of guys that are obviously good at baseball, but even better people, and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The summer that helped shape Lee\u2019s development happened on blind faith and a recommendation given based on the trust built through years of Northwoods League seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDale Varsho gave me the thumbs up and said that Ryan was a good person, ran a good program, and he felt confident that if he wasn\u2019t going to play in Eau Claire, that this would be the best spot for him,\u201d Larry Lee said. \u201cWe were very fortunate that Willmar was available, and I\u2019ve had a real good relationship with Ryan ever since.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaving An Early Mark<\/b><\/h3>\n

The summer Lee spent in Willmar wasn\u2019t just formative for his development as a player; it had an impact on him personally that continues to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s host family, Jay and Sherri Black, welcomed him and made sure he got the full experience of a Minnesota summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was kind of the first time I had lake days. That\u2019s what we would do on our off day: go on the lake, wake surf, wakeboard,\u201d Lee said. \u201cSo [it was a] super memorable time that I had, and you know, when I got drafted by the Twins, that was kind of one of my first thoughts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee kept his nose to the grindstone throughout the season, reviewing each at-bat and every play he made in the field and talking to his coaches at Cal Poly after the games.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the time he spent away from the ballpark with the Black family helped him strike the right balance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe relaxed a little bit rather than being so serious all the time,\u201d Sherri Black said, \u201cSo I think that was good for him too, as a little balance of both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Black family\u2019s efforts to spend time with Lee off the field led to one of the earliest marks he made in the state. Improbably, it can still be found on the north corner of a rusted old metal quonset hut just north of Danube, Jay\u2019s hometown.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spray painting the hut has been a tradition for decades in the town of less than 500 located 25 miles south of Willmar.<\/span><\/p>\n

They took his then-girlfriend and now-fianc\u00e9e Delanie (she and Brooks have their wedding Nov. 14) to spray paint the hut first and showed Lee photos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it was Lee\u2019s turn to take part in the tradition, it quickly became clear he was also using a can of spray paint for the first time \u2013 something he later confirmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t quite sure how that spray can worked,\u201d Jay Black said, \u201cbut his name is still there six years later.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brooks Lee spray paints his first name on the quonset hut outside of Danube, Minnesota. — photo courtesy of Sherri Black<\/p><\/div>\n

The moment became Black\u2019s favorite memory from that summer, and it\u2019s one that Lee also remembers fondly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a ritual, a rite of passage,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt feels like it\u2019s out in the middle of nowhere, and there\u2019s just spray paint all over. It\u2019s such a unique experience, but I\u2019m glad I did it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Black family made sure to stay in touch with Lee after that season, even making the trip out to California to see him and another former host player, Chris Campos. Lee\u2019s quick ascent to star status at Cal Poly was clear, but that fact didn\u2019t affect his relationship with his former host family \u2013 at least, not too much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore we got to talk to him, he had 50 kids lining up to get autographs from him,\u201d Jay Black said, \u201cAnd he finally told one kid, \u2018I signed it last night; I need to visit with these people for a while.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That care the Black family showed to one former host player may seem like it goes above and beyond. But it\u2019s the same attention and affection they\u2019ve shown to all the Stingers they have brought into their lives since they became host families in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had nine other kids at our house, and Sherri can text any one of them,\u201d Jay Black said, \u201cand within an hour, they\u2019re all responding to her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, it\u2019s not every day a host family gets to see one of their own make his major league debut.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee was in the batting cages at CHS Field in St. Paul on July 3, 2024 when he was told the news every baseball player dreams of: he was headed to the show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It sent Lee and his circle of loved ones into a scramble. As he made the trip over to Target Field and prepared for his debut, Jay and Sherri Black rushed toward Minneapolis and arrived at the ballpark just before the game started.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was emotional for us because you could see the look on his face\u2026 he had made it,\u201d Sherri Black said. \u201cIt was a proud moment for him, and, you know, I think we felt that too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s family in California arrived mid-way through his second game \u2013 the combination of the distance and travel delays made it impossible for them to be there for his debut in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it provided some comfort to know there was someone in Lee\u2019s corner for a milestone moment in his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime that your son or daughter goes away and there\u2019s a big moment in their life that there\u2019s support there, [we were] very appreciative of that,\u201d Larry Lee said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The newly minted major leaguer went 2-for-4 that night, notching his first hit and first run batted in against the Detroit Tigers as he became the fastest Twins first rounder to reach the big leagues since Matt Garza nearly two decades before him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was able to talk to Jay and Sherri Black after the game, providing a full circle moment just over four years after he arrived in Willmar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were such a good host family for me: great people, and that\u2019s what the Midwest is all about. I got to experience it firsthand,\u201d Lee said looking back on that summer. \u201cI love their whole family, and their family is huge now because they have a bunch of players, and they treat everyone with respect and love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Continued Connections<\/b><\/h3>\n

Lee\u2019s summer with the Stingers in 2020 easily could have been the only chapter in his Minnesota story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, it turned out to be just the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan Voz entered the opening day of the 2022 MLB Draft hoping Lee would become the first Stinger and Northwoods League Player to be the number one overall pick. He\u2019d been receiving some late buzz as an option to be taken at the top spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Baltimore Orioles took Jackson Holliday instead. But as Lee continued to wait for his name to get called, Voz realized that a slightly longer wait could lead to a dream come true for Stingers fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen he slid down to two, slid down to three, slid down to four, and then we started to realize that if he goes\u2026 to the Twins, that\u2019s a better story probably than going two overall.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lee went eighth overall to the Twins, tying Hunter Dozier as the highest-drafted player in Stingers history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brooks Lee and Ryan Voz pose for a photo putting up the Sting ‘Em hand sign outside of Target Field a few days after Lee was drafted in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins. — photo courtesy of Ryan Voz<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s the moment that brought him back to Willmar during the 2025 offseason, now a major leaguer coming off his first year with the Twins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really cool just to see some familiar faces, and it means a lot to me that a town like that has my back and they\u2019re really rooting for me, and they want me to do well,\u201d Lee said, \u201cObviously it\u2019s for their hometown team, but I think it\u2019s really cool that I have a reason to go back and a reason to be proud of playing there. I can\u2019t say enough good things about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That support has only grown as Lee takes the next step in his third season with the Twins. He\u2019s become a true everyday player, ranking among the top 20 players in the American League in both games played (109) and runs batted in (58), and has provided more power to manager Derek Shelton\u2019s lineup with 16 home runs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe more you play at this level, I feel like the more you get used to 95-plus good pitches, guys that throw strikes in all counts,” Lee said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a never-ending grind of just trying to get better every single day, and you know, the stats are always going to be what they are. But as long as you\u2019re getting better every day, then you\u2019re going to get spotted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Larry Lee, who has a Twins schedule printed out and posted on the whiteboard in his office at Cal Poly, sees a noticeable impact from the younger Lee\u2019s offseason training. He went through a program of explosive lifts and running to gain quickness and get faster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see the difference in how he moves and how he runs,\u201d Larry Lee said, \u201cso that was a big step, I think, for this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The change has given Stingers fans more chances to make the two-hour trip to Target Field and cheer on one of the team\u2019s most famous alums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI get so many pictures of Willmar people going to Twins games and taking a picture of Brooks Lee on the scoreboard and it said \u2018played in Willmar for the Stingers in the Northwoods League,\u2019\u201d Voz said. \u201cSo I love the tie in and I think it\u2019s very cool.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Stingers have done their part to strengthen that connection over the years. The team has held Brooks Lee bobblehead giveaways and jersey nights, which have become a big draw.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI sent him the picture of the line of kids waiting for the Brooks Lee jersey and he was very surprised \u2013 he said, \u2018Holy cow, that\u2019s a lot.,\u2019\u201d said Sherry Black, \u201cSo I said, \u2018Well, you\u2019re still pretty popular here.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The close proximity of Lee and the fact that he played for the Stingers just six years ago have helped to make the connection more concrete for fans. So it\u2019s no surprise that replica Brooks Lee Stingers jerseys can sometimes be seen in the stands at Target Field \u2013 including during the July 22 game against the Athletics, where he went 1-for-3 and scored twice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of really cool players and big star names with the Twins,\u201d Ryan Voz said, \u201cBut now when you go to a Twins game, you root a little extra for the guy that played in your hometown.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The bond between the Stingers and Lee wasn\u2019t the only one the organization made during the summer of 2020 \u2013 it also proved to be the beginning of a successful connection with Cal Poly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than a half-dozen Mustangs have played for the Stingers since 2020 \u2013 including Ryan Tayman, who was a Northwoods League All-Star in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe try to send the majority of our guys out, especially for position players to get more at-bats, to get more experience,\u201d Larry Lee said, \u201cand then when they come back, they\u2019re usually much better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tayman took a bigger jump than most in his development. He was a Third Team All-American this year and tied Cal Poly\u2019s single season home run record as the program made its first-ever appearance in a super regional, taking down the nation\u2019s top overall seed in UCLA to get there.<\/span><\/p>\n

The former Stinger recently made his professional debut in the Low-A Florida State League after being drafted in the 9th round by the New York Mets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSummer baseball is part of a player\u2019s evolution and development,\u201d Larry Lee said, \u201cIf they\u2019re good enough to play in a league like the Northwoods, even then they\u2019re going to be challenged. That\u2019s what you want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His son agreed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to. It\u2019s the closest thing to Major League Baseball: you\u2019re playing every single day,\u201d the younger Lee said when asked about what his advice would be to someone considering playing in the Northwoods League, \u201cIt\u2019s a grind, but you learn to love the game at a young age, and then if you want to continue playing it, you might as well play in the Northwoods because it feels like a rite of passage.<\/span><\/p>\n

From their showing at the Twins Winter Caravan to the long lines for his replica jerseys the last two seasons, Stingers fans have made it clear they\u2019re grateful Lee\u2019s Northwoods League experience happened in the black and honey gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

And for his part, Lee still strongly remembers his supporters in Willmar and the summer that helped launch a Minnesota journey taking him all the way to the big leagues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had never seen what the world was like until I left [Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo],\u201d Lee said, \u201cso it was really cool for me just to experience it, and I\u2019m glad I did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Willmar Stingers:
\nThe Willmar Stingers are a member of the Northwoods League, the premier summer collegiate baseball league in North America. The Stingers provide affordable, family-friendly entertainment while showcasing the top college baseball talent from across the country.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Willmar Stingers, visit willmarstingers.com or contact the front office (320)222-2010 or info@willmarstingers.com<\/p>\n

##<\/p>\n

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 entering its\u2019 33rd<\/sup>\u00a0season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 415 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019\/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM). League games are viewable live on FloSports.tv.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the highest honors in the Minnesota Twins organization is winning the Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award. 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