St. Cloud Rox (collegiate summer baseball)
Baseball team in St. Cloud, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
(North Division: 1998-2018)
| St. Cloud Rox | |
|---|---|
Logo | |
| 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 |
| Division championships | River Bats: 6 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007) Rox: 5 (2015, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2026) |
| League championships | River Bats: (1998, 2000, 2007) Rox: (2017) |
| Former name | St. Cloud River Bats (1997–2011) Dubuque Mud Puppies (1994–1996) |
| Former ballpark | Dick Putz Field |
| Colors | Navy, Carolina blue, red, gray, white, dark red, light navy[1] |
| Mascot | Chisel |
| Ownership | Rox Local Group: Gary Posch, Joe Sexton, Scott Schreiner |
| Manager | Nick Studdard |
| Media | St. Cloud Times WJON |
| Website | stcloudrox.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 known as the Dubuque Mud Puppies.[2][3] They played in Dubuque from 1994 to 1996, struggling financially despite strong backing from the business community.[4]
Three seasons in Dubuque yielded three future MLB players: Jeff Weaver, Shawn Sedlacek, and Robb Quinlan. Weaver became the first Northwoods League alum to appear in the majors when he debuted with the Detroit Tigers in 1999.[5]
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.[6] 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 the minor league team that played in the city from 1946 to 1971.[7]
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.
St. Cloud players in MLB
The following is a list of former Rox or River Bats who have played in Major League Baseball.[5]