Northwoods League
ROCHESTER, MN (WSAU) — The Northwoods League has added a third North Dakota club in the Badlands Big Sticks.
The established club will move to the NWL from the Independence League, another summer collegiate league that featured teams from the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Idaho. “We are delighted to welcome the Badlands Big Sticks to the Northwoods League,” stated Northwoods League President and Commissioner, Ryan Voz. “Their inclusion further strengthens the League’s reputation for showcasing outstanding baseball talent while fostering a strong connection with local communities.”
The club was established in 2018 in the now-defunct Expedition League. They play their home games in Dickinson, which is in the southwest part of the state. They will join the Bismarck Larks and Minot Hot Tots in the Great Plains West Division.
The Big Sticks addition gives the NWL an even 24 teams for 2024, meaning the travel-only Minnesota Mud Puppies will not return for the new season.
It also spells the end of the league’s flirtation with the Hudson, WI market. The St. Croix River Hounds’ website has been taken offline and now links back to the NWL homepage, and the team is no longer listed as an expansion franchise on the league’s website.
The club was announced in 2017 and was originally scheduled to begin play in 2019, though construction delays plagued their stadium project. Those delays were magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the club was left off the league’s 2022 and ’23 schedules.
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