Rafters Announce 2018 Northwoods League Schedule

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.-Coming off a season which saw them win a Northwoods League record 52 games in the regular season, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters will open their ninth season on the road against the Madison Mallards on Tuesday, May 29th next summer. The Northwoods League released its complete schedule today for the 2018 season. The 25th season will feature 20 teams, each playing 72 regular season games, along with a continuation of scheduled doubleheaders.

The Northwoods League, which plays two halves to determine playoff participants similar to most professional minor leagues, will end the first half of play on July 3th with the second half beginning on July 4th. Four teams from both the North and South divisions will meet in the Divisional Playoff Series on August 13th-14th. The North and South Division Champions will then meet in a best-of-three series for the Summer Collegiate World Series from August 15-17.

Highlights of the 2018 Rafters schedule include:
• A wide assortment of dates to choose from: The Rafters will play four games on Mondays; three games on Tuesdays; eight games on Wednesday; five games on Thursdays; four games on Fridays; seven games on Saturdays; and five games on Sundays.
• The Rafters final home game of the regular season will be Saturday, August 11th against the Green Bay Bullfrogs for the always popular “Fan Appreciation Night”. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm.
• The Rafters and Kalamazoo Growlers will participate in two home-home, day-night doubleheaders on June 27th and August 1st. Wisconsin Rapids will host the Growlers at Witter Field for a 12:05 start in game one on June 27th and the night game will begin at 7:05 later that evening. There will be two separate openings for the doubleheader that day. On Wednesday, August 1st, the Rafters will travel to Kalamazoo for a day-night doubleheader at Home Stryker Field.
• The Major League Dreams Showcase event, featuring the top 100 prospects in the Northwoods League as chosen by a panel of major league scouts will return to Warner Park in Madison, WI for the sixth consecutive year on August 7th. The first game will begin at 4:05 pm, with game two set for 7:35 pm.

More information on the Northwoods League’s 25th Anniversary Season and the location of the 2018 Northwoods League All-Star Game will be announced soon.

Solarus Founders Club ticket packages, all-you-can-eat 9-Game Packs, and group tickets are on sale now. There will be three 9-game packages to choose from in 2018, and the dates for those packages will be released soon. New for this season is a 9 Pack in the Solarus Founders Club that does not include beer. Please call the Rafters Front Office at 715-424-5400 for additional information.

Single game ticket prices for the 2018 season will be $10 for a reserved bleacher seat, $9 for standing room only tickets and will go on sale Friday, April 20th of next year. The full promotional schedule for the 2018 Rafters season will be released in the spring as well.

If you’re still looking for a gift for the holidays, make sure to stop into the Rafters office at Witter Field. Ticket packages, merchandise and gift cards are all available.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 185 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.