2014 Northwoods League season

21st annual season of the Northwoods League 2014 Northwoods League season Northwoods League Baseball 18 Northwoods League Championship Lakeshore Chinooks Mankato MoonDogs 2013 Northwoods League season 2013 2015 Northwoods League season 2015 The 2014 Northwoods League season was the 21st season of baseball in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball organization. The season concluded in August with the Lakeshore Chinooks winning the championship. Season overview Background After the 2013 season, the Northwoods League (NWL) expanded from 16 to 18 teams. The Kalamazoo Growlers were added, bringing the total of Michigan-based teams to two; with the other at the time being the Battle Creek Bombers.https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2013/06/baseball_homer_stryker_field_k.html Monacelli Emily Northwoods League president 'confident' baseball team will play at Homer Stryker Field in Kalamazoo in 2014 mlive.com September 14, 2026 June 4, 2013https://northwoodsleague.com/blog/2013/11/17/kalamazoobaseballsopeningeventunveilsnewteamnamelogoandmore/ Kalamazoo Baseball’s Opening Event unveils new team name, logo, and more Northwoods League September 14, 2026 November 17, 2013 The Kenosha Kingfish were also added. The NWL had previously been in the Wisconsin city in the form of the Kenosha Kroakers, a charter member of the league. In the run-up to the 2014 season, historic Simmons Field received extensive renovations.Reichard Kevin A thousand more fans per game approved for Kingfish 2026-09-14 https://ballparkdigest.com/201405207315/college-baseball/news/a-thousand-more-fans-per-game-approved-for-kingfish/ 2014-05-20 Ballpark Digest To accommodate two new teams on the eastern side of the league's geographic footprint, the Eau Claire Express shifted to the North Division, competing against divisional opponents in Minnesota, Iowa, and Ontario. In the 2014 season, the NWL had eighteen teams, split evenly between a North and South Division. The Madison Mallards entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Duluth Huskies in the 2013 NWL championship series.Nowacki Jon Mallards Beat Huskies to Claim Northwoods League Crown 2026-09-14 https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/mallards-beat-huskies-to-claim-northwoods-league-crown August 16, 2013 Duluth News Tribune Season The regular season began in May, with the season split into two halves. The teams with the best records in the division for each half automatically qualified for a playoff berth. This resulted in four teams qualifying for the playoffs. The playoff qualifiers for each division were as follows: North Division - Mankato MoonDogs, Willmar Stingers South Division - Lakeshore Chinooks, Wisconsin Woodchucks In the two best-of-two semifinal playoff games, the MoonDogs beat the Stingers and the Chinooks beat the Woodchucks. The championship series was a best-of-three set between the Chinooks and the MoonDogs. The Chinooks swept the MoonDogs and claimed their first NWL title.https://northwoodsleague.com/lakeshore-chinooks/2014/08/16/chinooks-win-2014-northwoods-league-championship/ Chinooks Win 2014 Northwoods League Championship Lakeshore Chinooks official site August 16, 2014 September 14, 2026https://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/rox/2015/08/15/kenosha-claims-northwoods-league-title-rox/31766819/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z115230e002525v115230d--52--b--52--&gca-ft=146&gca-ds=sophi Rennecke Andy Kenosha claims Northwoods League title over Rox SC Times August 14, 2015 September 14, 2026 Individual achievements Pete Alonso of the Madison Mallards was named 2014 NWL Most Valuable Player. Alonso played in 59 games for the Mallards after his freshman year at Florida. He maintained a .354 batting average and led the league in slugging percentage (.624) and OPS (1.043). He tallied 80 hits, 18 home runs, and 53 RBI. Matt Kent of the Rochester Honkers and Ryan Smoyer of the Kalamazoo Growlers were named co-recipients of the 2014 NWL Pitcher of the Year award. Kent logged 77.2 innings pitched and maintained a 2.09 ERA with 69 strikeouts. Smoyer pitched a league-high 80.2 innings, holding a 2.01 ERA and striking out 43 batters.2014 Northwoods League Postseason All-Star Team https://assets.northwoodsleague.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2014/08/2014-Northwoods-League-Postseason-All-Star-Roster.pdf 14 September 2026 Northwoods League In the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, 175 former NWL players were selected by MLB teams. Nick Howard was the highest-selected alum, going to the Cincinnati Reds with the 19th pick. Howard had played for the Madison Mallards in 2012. The very next pick, #20, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Casey Gillaspie. Gillaspie had played with Eau Claire in 2012. Future MLB standout Matt Chapman was taken by the Oakland Athletics with the 25th pick. Chapman had played for La Crosse in 2012. Other notable alums selected that year include Derek Fisher (Mallards, '12), Brian Anderson (Chinooks, '12), and Jose Trevino (Mallards, '12).2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft https://northwoodsleague.com/wp-content/uploads/file/2014%20MLB%20Draft%20for%20Media(5).pdf 14 September 2026 Northwoods League Standings + North Division Pos Team W L Pct. 1x – Willmar Stingers462646 262 Waterloo Bucks 452745 273x – Mankato MoonDogs423042 304 Rochester Honkers373537 355St. Cloud Rox373537 356 Eau Claire Express363636 367 Duluth Huskies304230 428 Thunder Bay Border Cats234923 499 Alexandria Blue Anchors225022 50 + South Division Pos Team W L Pct. 1x – Lakeshore Chinooks502150 212x – Wisconsin Woodchucks423042 303Kenosha Kingfish413041 304Madison Mallards393339 335 Green Bay Bullfrogs363636 366 La Crosse Loggers333933 397Battle Creek Bombers324032 408Kalamazoo Growlers294329 439 Wisconsin Rapids Rafters274527 45 x – Qualified for playoffs based on either best record (first or second half of season) or as a wildcard due to overall record. 2014 Northwoods League https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=fcbd3020 Baseball Reference September 14, 2026 Statistical leaders Qualified hitters must have minimum of 71 at-bats per season. Hitting Stat Player Team Total H Tyler Sullivan MoonDogs 90 HR Pete Alonso Mallards 18 RBI Pat Porter Kingfish 63 AVG Connor Marabell Mallards .384 OPS Pete Alonso Mallards 1.043 SB Tyler Sullivan MoonDogs 36 2014 Northwoods League Batting Leaders (sortable) https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=fcbd3020 Baseball Reference September 14, 2026 Pitching Stat Player Team Total W Ryan Smoyer Growlers 8 SO Reese Gregory Rox 71 SV Steve Villines Huskies 8 2014 Northwoods League Pitching Leaders (sortable) https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/leader.cgi?type=pitch&id=fcbd3020 Baseball Reference September 14, 2026 All-Star selections Post-season All-Star Team After the 2014 season, the NWL announced its Post-Season All-Star Team, recognizing standout players for their contributions over the course of the season. The following players were named as full-season all-stars. North Division +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Daniel Salters Express 1B Nick Rivera Stingers 2B Chris Paul Rox 3B Tyler Hermann Express SS Peter Maris MoonDogs OF Tyler Sullivan MoonDogs OF Jon McAllister Bucks OF Jordan Lee Blue Anchors DH Levi Scott MoonDogs DH Pat MacKenzie Bucks +Pitchers PositionPlayerTeam P Alex Winkelman Huskies P Tyler Mark MoonDogs P Matt Kent Honkers P Reese Gregory Rox P Adam Bray Bucks P Brady Anderson Stingers South Division +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Ryan Lidge Growlers 1B Pete Alonso Mallards 2B Chris Godinez Kingfish 3B Paul DeJong Woodchucks SS Zack Domingues Rafters OF Pat Porter Kingfish OF Troy Montgomery Growlers OF Brett Siddall Chinooks DH Zach Arnold Woodchucks +Pitchers PositionPlayerTeam P Rico Garcia Kingfish P Andrew Elliot Chinooks P Jake Tuttle Chinooks P Tim Black Mallards P Jacob Waguespack Bombers P Ryan Smoyer Growlers Northwoods League Announces 2014 All-Star Selections https://assets.northwoodsleague.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2014/08/2014-Northwoods-League-Postseason-All-Star-Roster.pdf Northwoodsleague.com 2026-09-14 NWL alumni in MLB MLB players who played in the NWL in 2014 The following is a list of players who appeared in the NWL during the 2014 season, en route to a future appearance/career in MLB. Name 2014 NWL team(s)Paul DeJongWisconsin WoodchucksKevin KaczmarskiWaterloo BucksPete AlonsoMadison MallardsJake NollLakeshore ChinooksMatt BeatyGreen Bay BullfrogsShaun AndersonLakeshore ChinooksJacob WaguespackBattle Creek BombersJosh TaylorSt. Cloud RoxSean PoppenDuluth HuskiesAlex YoungLakeshore ChinooksMatt ThaissMadison MallardsJohn SchreiberKalamazoo GrowlersAJ PukWaterloo BucksRico GarciaKenosha KingfishCaleb BaragarKalamazoo GrowlersSterling SharpMadison MallardsDane DunningWaterloo BucksWill CraigSt. Cloud RoxKa'ai TomWisconsin WoodchucksJacob RobsonThunder Bay Border CatsZach JacksonWisconsin Rapids RaftersSteven WilsonEau Claire ExpressPhoenix SandersWillmar StingersTanner TullyBattle Creek BombersCody SedlockWaterloo BucksCam VieauxLakeshore ChinooksAlex CallEau Claire ExpressNate MondouWisconsin WoodchucksZach MuckenhirnAlexandria Blue AnchorsTaylor KohlweyLa Crosse Loggers, Wisconsin WoodchucksParker DunsheeWisconsin WoodchucksRyan FitzgeraldKenosha KingfishBrian KellerLa Crosse Loggers Alums with 2014 MLB debuts The following is a list of NWL alums who made their Major League Baseball debuts in the 2014 MLB season. Name MLB debut Debut team Former NWL team(s) Season(s) in NWLAaron Barrett 3/31NationalsHuskies2008James Jones 4/18MarinersBucks2008Greg Garcia 4/28CardinalsBlue Thunder2008Daniel Robertson 4/29RangersBullfrogs2007Blaine Hardy6/16TigersBorder Cats2008Raffy Lopez9/2CubsBombers, Mallards2007, 2010Xavier Scruggs9/4CardinalsBlue Thunder2007 Awards and highlights NWL alums selected the 2014 MLB All-Star Game: Pat Neshek (Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2000) Chris Sale (La Crosse Loggers, 2008) Max Scherzer (La Crosse Loggers, 2004) Jordan Zimmermann (Eau Claire Express, 2006) NWL alums who were members of the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants: Brandon Crawford (Mankato MoonDogs, 2005) Northwoods League Northwoods League Alumni in MLB https://northwoodsleague.com/about-nwl/nwl-alumni/ 2026-09-14 Northwoods League en-US See also 2014 Major League Baseball season References Category:Northwoods League Category:2014 in baseball