2026 Northwoods League season
33rd annual season of the Northwoods League
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The 2026 Northwoods League season was the 33rd season of baseball and 3rd season of softball in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball and softball organization. The season concluded in August with the Royal Oak Leprechauns winning the baseball championship and the Madison Night Mares winning the softball championship.
(Baseball playoffs: August 9 – August 13)
Softball: 124
| 2026 Northwoods League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Northwoods League |
| Sport | Baseball Fastpitch softball |
| Duration | May 25 – August 8 (Baseball playoffs: August 9 – August 13) |
| Games | Baseball: 890 Softball: 124 |
| Teams | Baseball: 26 Softball: 6 |
| Northwoods League Championship | |
| Champions | Royal Oak Leprechauns (baseball) Madison Night Mares (softball) |
| Runners-up | St. Cloud Rox (baseball) Wausau Ignite (softball) |
Baseball season overview
Background
In 2026, there were 26 Northwoods League baseball teams, split evenly between the Great Lakes and Great Plains Divisions. These divisions were then split up between the Great Lakes East, Great Lakes West, Great Plains East, and Great Plains West subdivisions. The Green Bay Rockers entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Duluth Huskies in the league's 2025 championship game.[1][2][3]
It was announced during the offseason that the city of Richmond, Indiana would be awarded a franchise, and the team name was later revealed to be the Flying Mummies.[4][5][6][7] It was also announced that, to provide the league with an even number of teams, the Minnesota Mud Puppies travel team would return to the league.[8] Ahead of the season, the league also announced that the All-Star game would take place at Field of Dreams Ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa on July 8, 2026.[9]
Season
The season began on May 25 with an expectation of a 72-game per team schedule, excluding the Mud Puppies, who played a significantly fewer number of games by design. Several games were cancelled or rescheduled due to poor air quality from the 2026 Canadian wildfires, particularly those of the Thunder Bay Border Cats, Duluth Huskies, and Wausau Woodchucks.[10][11][12][13]
The season was split into two halves, with the top two teams in each sub-division--the standings leader from each half--qualifying for the playoffs that began on August 9.[14] In the Great Lakes division, neither of the two teams (the Traverse City Pit Spitters and Wausau Woodchucks) with the best full-season record in their respective sub-division qualified for the playoffs. In the East sub-division, the Kenosha Kingfish had the best first-half record and the Royal Oak Leprechauns had the best second half. In the West, the Madison Mallards had the best first half and the Lakeshore Chinooks had the best second half. In the Great Plains East, the La Crosse Loggers (best first half) and Eau Claire Express (best second) were playoff qualifiers. The West sub-division, the St. Cloud Rox took the first half while the Willmar Stingers took the second.
In the four best-of-three subdivision series, the Leprechauns swept the Kingfish, the Mallards swept the Chinooks, the Express took 2 of 3 against the Loggers, and the Rox took 2 of 3 against the Stingers. In the single-game Great Lakes Division championship, the Leprechauns defeated the Mallards 6-1, and in the Great Plains, the Rox defeated the Express 10-5.
The NWL Championship game was held at Joe Faber Field on 8/13/26. Both Royal Oak and St. Cloud were held scoreless through six innings. The Rox scored one run in the 7th on a home run by Nolan Geislinger. The Leprechauns got on the board in the 8th with a 2-RBI single by Luke Kosko, and added another run when Connor Larkin scored on a 3rd out putout.[15] The Leprechauns defeated the Rox by a score of 3-1.[16]
Individual achievements
St. Cloud's Tanner Recchio had an exceptional season on the basepaths. On June 21st, he broke the all-time individual NWL career stolen bases record, which had stood at 90 total for 18 years. Recchio had tallied 34 stolen bases with the Mud Puppies in 2023 and another 34 with the Rox in 2025. He finished the 2026 season with 81, shattering the previous single-season record of 67 and setting a new all-time individual record with 149.[17]
Royal Oak's Luke Kosko was named NWL Most Valuable Player after leading all NWL players in both home runs (17) and RBI (72), posting a .349 batting average (and 1.099 OPS) across 215 regular season at-bats, as well as playing a key role in the Leprechauns' NWL Championship victory.
Madison's Ckyler Tengler was named NWL Pitcher of the Year. Tengler appeared in 10 games for the Mallards and went 6-1 with a 2.41 ERA. In 52.1 innings pitched, he struck out 55 batters while walking only 11. He also pitched 1.0 innings in the NWL All-Star game, allowing no runs on no hits.[18]
In the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, 97 former NWL players were selected by MLB teams. Vahn Lackey was the highest-selected of these alums, going third overall to the Minnesota Twins. Lackey played for Traverse City in 2024 between seasons at Georgia Tech.[19]
Baseball standings
Great Lakes Division
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Traverse City Pit Spitters | 72 | 45 | 27 | .625 |
| 2 | y – Royal Oak Leprechauns | 72 | 43 | 29 | .597 |
| 3 | x – Kenosha Kingfish | 71 | 37 | 34 | .521 |
| 4 | Kalamazoo Growlers | 72 | 36 | 36 | .500 |
| 5 | Rockford Rivets | 71 | 31 | 40 | .437 |
| 6 | Richmond Flying Mummies | 72 | 29 | 43 | .403 |
| 7 | Battle Creek Battle Jacks | 71 | 22 | 49 | .310 |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wausau Woodchucks | 66 | 43 | 23 | .652 |
| 2 | y – Lakeshore Chinooks | 70 | 43 | 27 | .614 |
| 3 | x – Madison Mallards | 69 | 41 | 28 | .594 |
| 4 | Green Bay Rockers | 69 | 39 | 30 | .565 |
| 5 | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | 69 | 30 | 39 | .435 |
| 6 | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | 69 | 20 | 49 | .290 |
Great Plains Division
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Eau Claire Express | 69 | 46 | 23 | .667 |
| 2 | x – La Crosse Loggers | 69 | 45 | 24 | .652 |
| 3 | Rochester Honkers | 70 | 34 | 34 | .486 |
| 4 | Waterloo Bucks | 69 | 30 | 39 | .435 |
| 5 | Duluth Huskies | 70 | 29 | 41 | .414 |
| 6 | Thunder Bay Border Cats | 68 | 27 | 41 | .397 |
| 7 | Minnesota Mud Puppies | 35 | 13 | 22 | .371 |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – St. Cloud Rox | 69 | 42 | 27 | .609 |
| 2 | y –Willmar Stingers | 70 | 37 | 33 | .529 |
| 3 | Mankato MoonDogs | 70 | 37 | 33 | .529 |
| 4 | Bismarck Larks | 69 | 34 | 35 | .493 |
| 5 | Badlands Big Sticks | 70 | 31 | 39 | .443 |
| 6 | Minot Hot Tots | 69 | 26 | 43 | .377 |
- x – First Half Winner, clinched playoff spot
- y – Second Half Winner, clinched playoff spot
Baseball playoffs
Format
First and second half sub-divisional winners were eligible for the playoffs. The two playoff-eligible teams in each sub-division competed in a best-of-three Sub-Divisional Series. The two Sub-Divisional Series winners played a one-game Divisional Championship Game. The two Divisional Championship Game winners played a one-game League Championship.[21]
Playoff bracket
| Sub-Division Championship Series | Division Championship | Northwoods League Championship | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Royal Oak | 6 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Kenosha | 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Royal Oak | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| ↑ Great Lakes East / ↓ Great Lakes West | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Madison | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Lakeshore | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Madison | 9 | 11 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Cloud | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| ↑ Great Lakes / ↓ Great Plains | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Royal Oak | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Eau Claire | 6 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | La Crosse | 3 | 4 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Eau Claire | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| ↑ Great Plains East / ↓ Great Plains West | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Cloud | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Cloud | 7 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Willmar | 3 | 4 | 9 | ||||||||||||
Baseball statistical leaders
For cumulative stats, leaders include all league players. For average stats, leaders include only qualifiers. Qualified hitters must have 2.70 plate appearances per team game. Qualified pitchers must have minimum .80 innings pitched per team game.
Hitting
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR | Luke Kosko | Leprechauns | 17 |
| AVG | Savion Flowers | Loggers | .373 |
| RBIs | Luke Kosko | Leprechauns | 72 |
| SB | Tanner Recchio | Rox | 81 |
Pitching
Baseball All-Star selections
Mid-season All-Star Game
The 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game was held at Field of Dreams Ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa.[24] This game took place on July 8, 2026, with the Great Lakes division all-stars defeating those from the Great Plains division 4-2.[25]
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Great Lakes Division
|
Great Plains Division
|
Full-season All-Stars
After the season concluded, the league announced its Post-Season All-Stars for the full regular season. This group included players who performed well over the course of the entire season. Several players were selected to both the mid-season All-Star Game and the Post-Season All-Star team.[27]
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Great Lakes Division
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Great Plains Division
|
2026 MLB debuts
The following is a list of NWL alums who made their Major League Baseball debuts in the 2026 MLB season.
As of 9/1/26
Softball season overview
Background
The 2026 season was the third season of Northwoods League Softball (NWLS). There were 6 softball teams, playing in one single division. The two teams with the best record competed in a playoff series for the NWLS championship. The Madison Night Mares entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Minot Honeybees in the 2025 championship game.[30]
For 2026, the league expanded to Grand Forks, North Dakota; marking the first Northwoods League Softball team to play in a non-Northwoods League Baseball stadium.[31][32] On November 11, 2025, the team's name was revealed as the Grand Forks Spitfires.[33]
Team highlights
The Night Mares had an exceptional season, winning their first 16 games in a row before finally falling to the Wausau Ignite 13-10 in the first game of June 28 doubleheader.[34] The Night Mares ultimately set an NWLS record for full season wins, finishing at 36-6.[35]
The Ignite finished the season with a 21-19 record, earning the right to compete with Madison for the NWLS championship in a best of three series. Game 1 was held in Wausau on 8/3, with the Night Mares winning 3-1. Game 2 was held in Madison on 8/5, with the Night Mares winning 7-1, sweeping the Ignite and winning their second consecutive NWLS championship.[36]
Individual highlights
In June, Paytn Monticelli became the first NWLS alum to play professional softball, debuting in June with the Atlanta Smoke of the Professional Softball League. Monticelli pitched for the Night Mares in 2025, in the summer between her junior year at Oklahoma and senior year at LSU.[37]
Madison dominated post-season individual NWLS honors. Catcher Hilary Blomberg won NWLS Player of Year for the second year in a row, setting a new NWLS home run record with 20.[38] She also led the league in RBI (59) and batting average (.471) among full-season players. Fellow Night Mare Ryan Maddox won the NWLS Pitcher of the Year award, leading the league in ERA (3.37) and tying the lead with 10 wins. Coaches Kara Hammock (Madison) and Brandi Alonzo (La Crosse) were named NWLS Co-Coaches of Year.[39]
Softball standings and playoffs
Regular season standings
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison Night Mares | 42 | 36 | 6 | .857 |
| 2 | Wausau Ignite | 40 | 21 | 19 | .525 |
| 3 | Grand Forks Spitfires | 40 | 20 | 20 | .500 |
| 4 | La Crosse Steam | 42 | 20 | 22 | .476 |
| 5 | Mankato Habaneros | 42 | 14 | 28 | .333 |
| 6 | Minot Honeybees | 42 | 13 | 29 | .282 |
Playoffs
The Madison Night Mares, with the highest winning percentage in the league, secured the top seed in the playoffs. The Wausau Ignite, with the second best record in the league, earned the right to compete against the Night Mares in a best of three series.
Game 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wausau | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| WP: Elena Krause LP: Zoey Mills Attendance: 656 Box Score | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wausau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Madison | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| WP: Ryan Maddox LP: Zoey Mills Home runs: WAU: Viola Smith MAD: Tia Durst, Hilary Blomberg, Emma Kavanagh Attendance: 1,452 Box Score | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Night Mares swept the Ignite and won their second consecutive NWLS championship.[40]
Softball regular season statistical leaders
For cumulative stats, leaders include all league players. For average stats, leaders include only qualifiers. Per NWL softball standards, qualified hitters must have 2.00 plate appearances per team game and qualified pitchers must have minimum 1.0 innings pitched per team game.
Hitting
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR | Hilary Blomberg | Nightmares | 20 |
| AVG | Megan McGinnis | Ignite | .500 |
| RBIs | Hilary Blomberg | Nightmares | 59 |
| SB | Ahmari Braden | Nightmares | 19 |
Pitching
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | Zoey Mills, Ryan Maddox, Kendall Weik | Ignite, Nightmares, Nightmares | 10 |
| ERA | Ryan Maddox | Nightmares | 3.37 |
| SO | Preslynn Baker | Steam | 85 |
| SV | Preslynn Baker | Steam | 3 |
Softball All-Star selections
In July, the NWLS held its inaugural All-Star game at Warner Park in Madison, Wisconsin. Although the NWLS did not have divisions this season, team representatives were separated into a West team (Grand Forks, Minot, Mankato) and East team (Wausau, La Crosse, Madison). In a walk-off victory, the East team won the game 11-10.[43]
Mid-season All-Star Game rosters
West
|
East
|
Full-season All-Star Team
After the NWLS season concluded, the league announced the Post-Season All-Star Team. This group included players who performed well over the course of the entire season, including the second half. Most Post-Season All-Stars were also mid-season All-Stars.
East
|
West
|