Rafters All-Stars returned to Witter Field for autograph signing

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – When Rafter alum Mason McReaken, who played for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in 2017 and 2018, returned to Witter Field on Sunday, it was a trip down memory lane.

“Once I got here, just kind of smelling the hot dogs and hearing the songs definitely brings you back a little bit,” McReaken said.

McReaken, along with former Rafters Seth Fuller and Skyler Debilzen, returned to Wisconsin Rapids to for a limited edition All-Star card giveaway. Debilzen was a Northwoods League All-Star with the Rafters in 2011 and Seth Fuller was named an All-Star the next year in 2012.

Along with going fishing with one of the Rafters host families, the trip back to Rapids gave McReaken a chance to catch up with those he connected with during his time on the team.

“I saw a lot of familiar faces today and a lot of people shared some stories from my two years here and it’s great to have that relationship with this town and these people,” McReaken said. “I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else than this town and this place. It’s incredible here.”

McReaken, who was a 2018 All-Star, played one year in the Atlanta Braves organization. He said his time in the Northwoods League was crucial to his development as a baseball player.

I had a couple of below average college seasons where I was being scouted and didn’t really perform well, but then I came here and performed well,” McReaken said. “This was definitely a great pathway to where I was at in the minor leagues with the Braves.”

McReaken played alongside current Rafters Gareth Stroh and Jake Dunham in 2018. He was also a part of the record-breaking 2017 Rafters squad that won 52 games.

“It was a fun season and if you’re not having fun you’re not going to win 52 games like we did and it was an incredible year for everybody,” McReaken said.

It seemed to be a successful homecoming. McReaken said the 2019 team has the components to make another successful run in the Northwoods League, but more importantly, he said the photo on his Rafters All-Star card captured his good side.

Want to attend a Rafters game this season? Single-game tickets 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 Rafters ticket office is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday at Witter Field, 521 Lincoln Street in Wisconsin Rapids.

###

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.