St. Cloud Rox (collegiate summer baseball)

The St. Cloud Rox are a baseball team that play in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Their home games are played at the Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minnesota. As of June 26, 2018, 198 former Northwoods League players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. Most notable: Curtis Granderson, Andre Ethier, Jordan Zimmerman, Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, Juan Pierre, Jeff Weaver & Pat Neshek.

St. Cloud Rox
Information
LeagueNorthwoods League (1994-pres) (Great Plains Conference-West Division: 2019-pres)
(North Division: 1998-2018)
LocationSt. Cloud, Minnesota
BallparkJoe Faber Field
Year founded1994
League championshipsRiver Bats: (1998, 2000, 2007)
Rox: (2017)
Division championshipsRiver Bats: 6 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007)
Rox: 2 (2015, 2017)
Former name(s)St. Cloud River Bats (1997–2011), Dubuque Mud Puppies (1994-1996)
Former ballparksDick Putz Field
ColorsLight Blue, Navy Blue, Grey & Red
MascotChisel
OwnershipRox Local Group: Gary Posch, Joe Sexton, Scott Schreiner
ManagerAugie Rodriguez (Augusta St.)
MediaSt. Cloud Times WJON
Websitestcloudrox.com

Beginnings in Dubuque

The franchise was one of the five founding members of the league in 1994 and was located in Dubuque, Iowa. The team was nicknamed the Mud Puppies.

Return of baseball to St. Cloud

St. Cloud, Minnesota has hosted baseball for decades at a variety of play levels. Baseball returned to the city in 1997 in the Northwoods League with the relocation of the Mud Puppies. With the move came a new name for the team, the St. Cloud River Bats.[1] The River Bats were a premier team in the Northwoods League, winning 3 league championships, one North Division overall championship, and 3 First Half North Division pennants.

Return of the Rox

In February 2012, the Northwoods League sold the team rights to a local interest group while reserving the rights to the name and logo. The St. Cloud franchise played the 2012 season as the St. Cloud Rox, hearkening back to a popular minor league team that played in the city until 1971.[2]

Radio broadcasts

Rox games can be heard on 1390 Granite City Sports. Evan Hughes, a member of 3304 Sports at Virginia Tech, assumes the broadcasting role for the team.

Notable alumni

References

  1. http://www.pointstreaksites.com/view/northwoodsleague/about-nwl/history-11
  2. "The Rox Name Returns for New St. Cloud Franchise". News. St. Cloud Rox. 28 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 11 March 2012. This team name had been in use previously by a team who was part of the Northern League. They were in operation from the mid 1940s until 1971 and even featured Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Brock. The Rox lead the North Division in attendance in 2012 with over 55,000 fans attending Rox games.
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