Northwoods League
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports league
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer wooden-bat baseball and softball league. The teams are located in the Northwoods region of the Upper Midwestern United States and Northwestern Ontario, mostly in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Other teams are located in Michigan, North Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Ontario.
All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility. Graduated senior pitchers are also eligible to play in the Northwoods League. Each team may have four of these players at a time. As of 2025, over 400 Northwoods League alums have gone on to play in Major League Baseball, including Max Scherzer, Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, Curtis Granderson, Chris Sale, Brandon Crawford, Ben Zobrist, and Pete Alonso.
History
Established in 1994, the Northwoods League was the first for-profit summer collegiate baseball league. It has more teams and plays more games than any other summer collegiate baseball league.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The purpose of the league is to develop players while college baseball teams are not allowed to work out. Many of the teams in the league play in ballparks formerly occupied by professional clubs from the Midwest League, Prairie League, Northern League, and Frontier League. The wooden bat circuit allows communities deemed too small for professional ball to continue to enjoy high-quality, competitive baseball during the summer months. The Northwoods League was the first summer collegiate baseball league to broadcast on the ESPN network, and currently webcasts all of its games.
In 2020, some teams cancelled their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those teams that did play, instead of playing within their usual divisions, they played in hub regions, with some creating temporary teams.
In 2023, the Northwoods League announced plans to create a new softball league. The softball league initially consisted of four teams, based in Madison (Madison Night Mares) and La Crosse, Wisconsin (La Crosse Steam); Mankato, Minnesota (Mankato Habeneros); and Minot, North Dakota (Minot Honeybees).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2025, the Wausau Ignite was added.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For 2026, the league will expand to Grand Forks, North Dakota; it will be the first Northwoods League Softball team to play in a non-Northwoods League Baseball market.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On November 11, 2025, the team's name was revealed as the Grand Forks Spitfires.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Over 400 league alumni have gone on to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). Alumnus Max Scherzer, the 2017 National League Cy Young Award winner, and American League runner-up Chris Sale faced each other as the starting pitchers in the 2017 and 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Games. Both pitchers had previously played for the La Crosse Loggers.
Competition
Teams play 72 games scheduled from Memorial Day to the 2nd Saturday in August, while the playoffs take place the week after, starting on that Sunday and ending usually on Friday. The season itself is broken into two halves, with the winners of each half in each of the four sub-divisions playing against each other to determine a sub-divisional champion in a best-of-three series. The sub-divisional champions then meet in a winner-take-all game to determine a divisional champion. The divisional champions then meet in a winner-take-all game for the league championship.
In small cities it may be hard to find the financial stability in a newly-founded baseball league. League leaders realized they needed to gain significant revenue from sponsors in order to succeed. According to league chairman and co-founder Dick Radatz, Jr, two-thirds of the revenue comes from sponsors and the remainder from ticket sales, concessions, and team merchandise. Radatz also noted the importance of having the sponsor revenue before the beginning of the season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Teams
Baseball teams
Map of baseball teams
Baseball franchise timeline
<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25 Period = from:1994 till:2027 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:140 left:20 bottom:20 top:0
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
PlotData=
width:20 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:orange from:1994 till:end text:Dubuque Mud Puppies (1994–1996), St. Cloud River Bats (1997-2011), St. Cloud Rox (2012–present)
bar:2 color:yellow from:1994 till:1999 text:Kenosha Kroakers (1994–1998)
bar:3 color:yellow from:1994 till:1998 text:Manitowoc Skunks (1994–1997)
bar:4 color:orange from:1994 till:end text:Rochester Honkers (1994–present)
bar:5 color:orange from:1994 till:end text:Wausau Woodchucks (1994–1998), Wisconsin Woodchucks (1999–2021), Wausau Woodchucks (2022–present)
bar:6 color:orange from:1995 till:end text:Waterloo Bucks (1995–present)
bar:7 color:yellow from:1998 till:2003 text:Brainerd Mighty Gulls (1998–2002)
bar:8 color:yellow from:1998 till:2001 text:Grand Forks Channel Cats (1998–2000)
bar:9 color:yellow from:1998 till:2001 text:Southern Minny Stars (1998–1999), Minot Greenheads (2000)
bar:10 color:orange from:1999 till:end text:Mankato Mashers (1999–2001), Mankato MoonDogs (2002–present)
bar:11 color:yellow from:2001 till:2016 text:Alexandria Beetles (2001-2012), Alexandria Blue Anchors (2013-2015)
bar:12 color:orange from:2001 till:end text:Madison Mallards (2001–present)
bar:13 color:orange from:2003 till:end text:Duluth Huskies (2003–present)
bar:14 color:orange from:2003 till:end text:La Crosse Loggers (2003–present)
bar:15 color:orange from:2003 till:2019 text:Thunder Bay Border Cats (2003–2019, 2023-present) bar:15 color:orange from:2023 till:end
bar:16 color:yellow from:2005 till:2012 text:Brainerd Blue Thunder (2005-2008), Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers (2009-2011)
bar:17 color:orange from:2005 till:end text:Eau Claire Express (2005–present)
bar:18 color:orange from:2007 till:end text:Battle Creek Bombers (2007–2021), Battle Creek Battle Jacks (2022–present)
bar:19 color:orange from:2007 till:end text:Green Bay Bullfrogs (2007–2018), Green Bay Booyah (2019-2021), Green Bay Rockers (2022-present)
bar:20 color:orange from:2010 till:end text:Willmar Stingers (2010–present)
bar:21 color:orange from:2010 till:end text:Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (2010–present)
bar:22 color:orange from:2012 till:end text:Lakeshore Chinooks (2012–present)
bar:23 color:orange from:2014 till:end text:Kalamazoo Growlers (2014–present)
bar:24 color:orange from:2014 till:end text:Kenosha Kingfish (2014–present)
bar:25 color:orange from:2016 till:end text:Rockford Rivets (2016–present)
bar:26 color:orange from:2017 till:end text:Bismarck Larks (2017–present)
bar:27 color:orange from:2017 till:end text:Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (2017–present)
bar:28 color:yellow from:2019 till:2024 text:Kokomo Jackrabbits (2019–2024)
bar:29 color:orange from:2019 till:end text:Traverse City Pit Spitters (2019–present)
bar:30 color:orange from:2023 till:end text:Minot Hot Tots (2023-present)
bar:31 color:yellow from:2021 till:2024 text:Minnesota Mud Puppies (2021-2024)
bar:32 color:orange from:2024 till:end text:Badlands Big Sticks (2024-present)
bar:33 color:orange from:2024 till:end text:Royal Oak Leprechauns (2024-present)
bar:34 color:orange from:2026 till:end text:Richmond Flying Mummies (2026-)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1994 </timeline>
Softball teams
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Forks Spitfires | Grand Forks, North Dakota | Albrecht Field | 1,000 |
| La Crosse Steam | La Crosse, Wisconsin | Copeland Park | 3,550 |
| Madison Night Mares | Madison, Wisconsin | Warner Park | 7,500 |
| Mankato Habaneros | Mankato, Minnesota | ISG Field | 4,000 |
| Minot Honeybees | Minot, North Dakota | Corbett Field | 1,266 |
| Wausau Ignite | Wausau, Wisconsin | Athletic Park | 3,850 |
Map of softball teams
Softball franchise timeline
<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25 Period = from:2024 till:2050 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:140 left:20 bottom:20 top:0
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
PlotData=
width:20 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:orange from:2024 till:2027 text:La Crosse Steam (2024–present)
bar:2 color:orange from:2024 till:2027 text:Madison Night Mares (2024–present)
bar:3 color:orange from:2024 till:2027 text:Mankato Habaneros (2024–present)
bar:4 color:orange from:2024 till:2027 text:Minot Honeybees (2024–present)
bar:5 color:orange from:2025 till:2027 text:Wausau Ignite (2025–present)
bar:6 color:orange from:2026 till:2027 text:Grand Forks Spitfires (2026–present)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2024 </timeline>
Champions
Baseball Champions
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Rochester Honkers | --- | --- |
| 1995 | Kenosha Kroakers | Manitowoc Skunks | 2-0 |
| 1996 | Waterloo Bucks | Rochester Honkers | 2-0 |
| 1997 | Rochester Honkers (2) | Waterloo Bucks | 2-1 |
| 1998 | St. Cloud River Bats | Rochester Honkers | 2-0 |
| 1999 | Rochester Honkers (3) | St. Cloud River Bats | 2-1 |
| 2000 | St. Cloud River Bats (2) | Waterloo Bucks | 2-0 |
| 2001 | Wisconsin Woodchucks | St. Cloud River Bats | 2-1 |
| 2002 | Waterloo Bucks (2) | Brainerd Mighty Gulls | 2-0 |
| 2003 | Wisconsin Woodchucks (2) | St. Cloud River Bats | 2-1 |
| 2004 | Madison Mallards | Duluth Huskies | 2-0 |
| 2005 | Thunder Bay Border Cats | Madison Mallards | 2-1 |
| 2006 | Rochester Honkers (4) | Thunder Bay Border Cats | 2-0 |
| 2007 | St. Cloud River Bats (3) | Eau Claire Express | 2-0 |
| 2008 | Thunder Bay Border Cats (2) | Madison Mallards | 2-1 |
| 2009 | Rochester Honkers (5)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | La Crosse Loggers | 2-1 |
| 2010 | Eau Claire Express | Rochester Honkers | 2-1 |
| 2011 | Battle Creek Bombers | Mankato MoonDogs | 2-0 |
| 2012 | La Crosse Loggers | Mankato MoonDogs | 2-0 |
| 2013 | Madison Mallards (2)<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | Duluth Huskies | 2-0 |
| 2014 | Lakeshore Chinooks<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Mankato MoonDogs | 2-0 |
| 2015 | Kenosha Kingfish<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | St. Cloud Rox | 2-0 |
| 2016 | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Eau Claire Express | 2-0 |
| 2017 | St. Cloud Rox (4) | Battle Creek Bombers | 2-1 |
| 2018 | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | Duluth Huskies | 2-1 |
| 2019 | Traverse City Pit Spitters | Eau Claire Express | 3-2 |
| 2020 | No official league champion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic | --- | --- |
| 2021 | Traverse City Pit Spitters (2) | St. Cloud Rox | 9-3 |
| 2022 | Kalamazoo Growlers | Duluth Huskies | 8-3 |
| 2023 | Green Bay Rockers | St. Cloud Rox | 4-3 |
| 2024 | Kalamazoo Growlers (2) | La Crosse Loggers | 8-7 (14) |
| 2025 | Green Bay Rockers (2) | Duluth Huskies | 10-8 |
From 1995-2018, the league championship series was a best-of-3 between the two division champions. When the league expanded in 2019, the championship became a one-game playoff.
2020 Pod Champions<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Pod | Champion | Result(Record) |
|---|---|---|
| Kenosha | Kenosha Kingfish | 17-9 |
| Michigan North | Traverse City Pit Spitters | 33-8 |
| Michigan South | Kalamazoo Growlers | 40-25 |
| Minnesota-Iowa | Waterloo Bucks | 28-13 |
| North Dakota | Bismarck Larks | 33-15 |
| Wisconsin-Illinois (East) | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | 31-17 |
| Wisconsin-Illinois (West) | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | 35-11 |
Softball Champions
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mankato Habaneros | (no playoffs, best regular-season record) | 31-11 |
| 2025 | Madison Night Mares | Minot Honeybees | 2-0 |
Notable Northwoods League alumni
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
As of the end of the 2025 MLB season, 411 former Northwoods League players have appeared in Major League Baseball.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The following is a list of notable standout players.
- Pete Alonso, Madison Mallards, 2014
- Brian Anderson, Lakeshore Chinooks, 2012
- Nick Anderson, Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers, 2010
- Harrison Bader, Lakeshore Chinooks, 2013
- Drake Baldwin, Madison Mallards, 2021
- Clint Barmes, Kenosha Kroakers, 1998; Waterloo Bucks, 1999
- Austin Barnes, St. Cloud River Bats, 2010
- Michael Busch, St. Cloud Rox, 2017
- Kole Calhoun, Eau Claire Express, 2007–09
- Alex Call, Eau Claire Express, 2013-14
- Noah Cameron, Willmar Stingers, 2020
- Kristian Campbell, Duluth Huskies, 2022
- Mark Canha, St. Cloud River Bats, 2008
- Matt Chapman, La Crosse Loggers, 2012
- Denzel Clarke, Kokomo Jackrabbits, 2019
- Ernie Clement, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, 2015
- Isaac Collins, Duluth Huskies, 2017
- Allen Craig, Alexandria Beetles, 2003/2005
- Brandon Crawford, Mankato MoonDogs, 2005
- Paul DeJong, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2014
- Daniel Descalso, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2006
- Lucas Duda, Alexandria Beetles, 2006
- Jeff Duncan, Waterloo Bucks, 1998
- Dane Dunning, Waterloo Bucks, 2014
- Caleb Durbin, Rockford Rivets, 2019; Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 2020-21
- Andre Ethier, Rochester Honkers, 2002
- TJ Friedl, St. Cloud Rox, 2016
- Mitch Garver, St. Cloud River Bats, 2010–11
- Zack Gelof, Kalamazoo Growlers, 2019
- Jay Gibbons, Manitowoc Skunks, 1996–97
- Ryan Goins, Waterloo Bucks, 2008
- Tony Gonsolin, Madison Mallards, 2015
- Curtis Granderson, Mankato Mashers, 2001
- Mitch Haniger, Green Bay Bullfrogs, 2009
- Daniel Ray Herrera, La Crosse Loggers, 2005
- Tyler Hoechlin, Battle Creek Bombers, 2007
- Nico Hoerner, Madison Mallards, 2016
- Griffin Jax, Eau Claire Express, 2015
- Connor Joe, Duluth Huskies, 2012
- Tony Kemp, Rochester Honkers, 2011
- Bobby Kielty, Kenosha Kroakers, 1996
- Zach McKinstry, Waterloo Bucks, 2015
- Jakob Marsee, Great Lakes Resorters, 2020; Kokomo Jackrabbits, 2021; Traverse City Pit Spitters, 2022
- Nick Mears, Willmar Stingers, 2017-18
- Mark Melancon, Duluth Huskies, 2004
- Garrett Mitchell, Mankato MoonDogs, 2018
- Pat Neshek, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2000
- Lars Nootbaar, La Crosse Loggers, 2016
- Joey Ortiz, Willmar Stingers, 2018
- Chad Patrick, Traverse City Pit Spitters, 2019-20
- Brandon Pfaadt, Mankato MoonDogs, 2018
- Juan Pierre, Manitowoc Skunks, 1996
- Kevin Pillar, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2010
- A. J. Puk, Waterloo Bucks, 2014
- Chris Sale, La Crosse Loggers, 2008
- Max Scherzer, La Crosse Loggers, 2004
- Victor Scott II, Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 2020-21
- Marcus Semien, Alexandria Beetles, 2009-10
- George Sherrill, Kenosha Kroakers, 1997
- Chandler Simpson, Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 2021
- Drew Smyly, Duluth Huskies, 2009
- Ryan Spilborghs, Madison Mallards, 2001
- Gavin Stone, Battle Creek Bombers, 2019; Great Lakes Resorters, 2020
- Bryson Stott, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, 2017
- Matt Strahm, Rochester Honkers, 2011
- Kyle Teel, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, 2020-21
- Eric Thames, La Crosse Loggers, 2007
- Jose Trevino, Madison Mallards, 2012
- Louis Varland, Willmar Stingers, 2017–18
- Daulton Varsho, Eau Claire Express, 2015–16
- Alex Vesia, Mankato MoonDogs, 2016
- Jeff Weaver, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1995
- Josh Willingham, Southern Minny Stars, 1998–99
- Jacob Wilson, Mankato MoonDogs, 2021
- Jordan Zimmermann, Eau Claire Express, 2006
- Ben Zobrist, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2003
Template:Date table sortingTemplate:Div col end
Umpiring
The Northwoods League, in addition to being a developmental league for players and coaches, is also a developmental league for umpires. The concentrated game schedule, travel, and Minor League-like game conditions give NWL umpires a pre-professional experience. Since the League's inaugural season in 1994, 44 of its former umpires have furthered their careers in affiliated professional baseball.
The League recruits its umpires from the two umpire schools whose curricula have been approved by the Professional Baseball Umpire Corps. (PBUC): The Minor League Umpire training Academy and Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires. The umpires ultimately chosen are usually among the top school graduates who were then selected to the pre-season, PBUC sponsored Umpire Evaluation Course.
The NWL contracts with eleven three-man crews during the regular season, a six-man crew during the mid-season All-Star game, and six umpires for both the divisional playoffs and championship series.
References
- Pages with broken file links
- Northwoods League
- Collegiate summer baseball leagues
- College baseball leagues in the United States
- Multi-national baseball leagues in North America
- Baseball leagues in Canada
- Baseball leagues in Iowa
- Baseball leagues in Minnesota
- Baseball leagues in Wisconsin
- Sports leagues established in 1994
- 1994 establishments in the United States