Wisconsin Rapids kicks off Northwoods League play with three-game road trip

After wrapping up the 2018 season with a 34-37 record, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters look to bounce back in their 10^thanniversary season and reach the Northwoods League playoffs for the third time in four years.

The Rafters open the 2019 campaign with a two-game away series against the Rockford Rivets. The team then travels to Madison for a one-game tilt with the Mallards before returning to Historic Witter Field for the Rafters’ home opener.

The 2019 roster features plenty of high-caliber talent from around the country, including returners Jake Dunham, Winston Allen and Trayson Kubo. After posting a 1.47 ERA and a 6-2 record for the Rafters in 2018, Kubo returns to the rotation after wrapping up his collegiate career at Stephen F. Austin.

Craig Noto enters his fifth season as the field manager for the Rafters, having a 2016 Northwoods League Championship under his belt. The summer of 2019 also marks the return of assistant coach Kirk Shrider, who was with the team in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, the Rafters welcome first-year assistant coach Will Flynt to the 2019 staff.

Nathan Hemmerling will get the nod tonight for Wisconsin Rapids. The Lakeland University freshman led the conference with 76 strikeouts, being named first-team all-conference and first-team all-Midwest Region in Division III.

Want to attend a Rafters game this season? Rafters 9-Game Ticket Packages are on sale now! For more information on all Rafters ticket offerings visit Raftersbaseball.com, call the Rafthouse at

715-424-5400, or come visit us over at historic Witter Field. The Rafthouse is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday at Witter Field, 521 Lincoln Street in Wisconsin Rapids.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  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.