St. Cloud Rox (collegiate summer baseball)
| St. Cloud Rox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Northwoods League (1994-pres) (Great Plains West Division: 2019-pres) (North Division: 1998-2018) |
| Location | St. Cloud, Minnesota |
| Ballpark | Joe Faber Field |
| Founded | 1994 |
| League championships | River Bats: (1998, 2000, 2007) Rox: (2017) |
| Division championships | River Bats: 6 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007) Rox: 4 (2015, 2017, 2021, 2023) |
| Former name(s) | St. Cloud River Bats (1997–2011), Dubuque Mud Puppies (1994-1996) |
| Former ballparks | Dick Putz Field |
| Colors | Light Blue, Navy Blue, Grey & Red |
| Mascot | Chisel |
| Ownership | Rox Local Group: Gary Posch, Joe Sexton, Scott Schreiner |
| Manager | Brian Lewis |
| Media | St. Cloud Times WJON |
| Website | stcloudrox.com |
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.
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. Alexander Fern, a student at St. Cloud State University, and Broadcaster for St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey, is the radio play-by-play voice of Rox Baseball.
Notable alumni
- Austin Barnes, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Chris Başak, New York Yankees
- Buddy Baumann, San Diego Padres
- Mark Canha, Oakland Athletics
- Chris Demaria, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers
- Thomas Diamond, 10th overall pick of the 2004 MLB Draft, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs
- Steve Edlefsen, San Francisco Giants
- John Gaub, Chicago Cubs
- Cleveland Indians
- Justin Huisman, Kansas City Royals
- Chris Jakubauskas, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles
- Jason Jaramillo, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Sean Kazmar, San Diego Padres
- Roger Kieschnick, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Casey McGehee, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Tony Renda, Cincinnati Reds
- Matt Reynolds, New York Mets
- Konrad Schmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Jake Smith, San Diego Padres
- Dan Straily, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins
- Robbie Weinhardt, Detroit Tigers
References
- ^ "Pointstreak Sites | Northwoods League | History". Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ "The Rox Name Returns for New St. Cloud Franchise". News. St. Cloud Rox. 28 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. 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.
External links
- St. Cloud Rox – official site
- Northwoods League – official site
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
