The St. Cloud Rox are a
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
team that play in the
Northwoods League
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...
, a
collegiate summer baseball league. Their home games are played at the
Joe Faber Field
Joe Faber Field is a baseball venue located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. It is the home of the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. in
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud or Saint Cloud (; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the c ...
.
Beginnings in Dubuque
The franchise was one of the five founding members of the league in 1994 and was located in
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...
. The team was nicknamed the Mud Puppies.
Return of baseball to St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud or Saint Cloud (; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the c ...
has hosted baseball for decades at a variety of play levels. Baseball returned to the city in 1997 in the
Northwoods League
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...
with the relocation of the Mud Puppies. With the move came a new name for the team, the St. Cloud River Bats.
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.
Radio broadcasts
Rox games can be heard on 1390 Granite City Sports. Aspiring Broadcasters from colleges across the United States have served as the voice of Rox Baseball over the years.
Notable alumni
*
Austin Barnes
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Los Angeles Dodgers
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Chris Başak
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New York Yankees
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Buddy Baumann,
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Mark Canha
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Oakland Athletics
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Charlie Condon
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Georgia Bulldogs
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Chris Demaria
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Milwaukee Brewers
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Thomas Diamond
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Diamond starred at the University of New Orleans. As a junior, he ...
, 10th overall pick of the 2004 MLB Draft,
Texas Rangers,
Chicago Cubs
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Steve Edlefsen
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John Gaub
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Tom Gorzelanny
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Chicago Cubs
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Washington Nationals
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Milwaukee Brewers
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Detroit Tigers
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Cleveland Indians
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*
Justin Huisman
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Amateur career
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Kansas City Royals
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Chris Jakubauskas,
Seattle Mariners
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Baltimore Orioles
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Jason Jaramillo
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Sean Kazmar,
San Diego Padres
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Roger Kieschnick
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*
Casey McGehee
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Chicago Cubs
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Milwaukee Brewers
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Pittsburgh Pirates
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New York Yankees
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San Francisco Giants
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Detroit Tigers
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*
Robb Quinlan
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Tony Renda
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Cincinnati Reds
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Matt Reynolds,
New York Mets
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Konrad Schmidt,
Arizona Diamondbacks
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Jake Smith,
San Diego Padres
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*
Dan Straily
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,
Oakland Athletics
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,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
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Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
,
Cincinnati Reds
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,
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
*
Robbie Weinhardt
Robert Douglas Weinhardt (born December 8, 1985) is a former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. He went to college at Oklahoma State.
Career Detroit Tigers
He was called up to t ...
,
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
References
External links
St. Cloud Rox– official site
Northwoods League– official site
{{Authority control
Northwoods League teams
Amateur baseball teams in Minnesota
1997 establishments in Minnesota
Baseball teams established in 1997
Sports in St. Cloud, Minnesota