Rochester, Minn. (July 13, 2012) — The Northwoods League has announced the rosters for the 2012 Northwoods League All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, July 24th at 7:35 pm (CT) at Warner Park in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Duluth Huskies and Green Bay Bullfrogs will have the greatest representation on their respective all-star teams with each having six players in the game. Green Bay boasts five members of their league-leading pitching staff. The Bullfrogs enter Friday with a league-best 2.62 ERA. They’re anchored by NWL ERA leader (1.29) Bradley Wallace (Arkansas State) who is among the five right-handed pitchers from Green Bay named to the South Division team. Duluth claims three of the six outfield spots on the North Division team, including James Ramsay (South Florida) whose .389 batting average is currently second best in the NWL.
Another Duluth Huskies player, third baseman Trey Vavra (Madison College), joins older brother and Alexandria Beetles second baseman Tanner Vavra (Valparaiso) on the North Division roster. The sons of Minnesota Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra are both currently in the top ten in batting in the league. Tanner ranks first with a .391 average while Trey is tied for sixth with a .371 mark.
Duluth RHP Joey Novak (Harvard) and Alexandria RHP Anthony Bazzani (Eastern Kentucky) are two of five players making their second consecutive Northwoods League All-Star team. The others are St. Cloud Rox OF Andy Henkemeyer (Minnesota), and Eau Claire Express infielders Josh Scheffert (Nebraska) and Ty Forney (Texas-Permian Basin).
For the third time in four years Mankato MoonDogs manager Mike Orchard and his coaching staff will be in the dugout for the game. The MoonDogs, who ran away with the first half championship in the North Division with a record-setting 28 wins, currently have the best overall record in the NWL with a 34-9 mark. Five MoonDog players are on the North roster including LHP Zach Hall (Parkland) who is third in the league with a 2.31 ERA.
It’ll be the first opportunity to manage the South All-Stars for La Crosse Loggers manager Andy McKay and his staff. The Loggers won the first-half championship in the South with a 26-9 record. The Loggers have three All-Stars including Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) who leads the NWL with 65 strikeouts.
Eight different universities will be represented by two players in the All-Star Game. They include Florida Gulf Coast, Kansas, Long Beach State, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Florida, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
This year’s All-Stars were chosen in a vote by the 16 member teams of the Northwoods League. Ballots were cast by each team’s field staff and media contacts.
The 2012 Northwoods League All-Star Game festivities kick off on Monday, July 23rd, the day before the game. At 6 pm it’s the NWL All-Star Steak and Lobster Dinner featuring Guest Speaker, Milwaukee Brewers President of Operations and General Manager Doug Melvin. On Tuesday, July 24th, fans can come out to the park before the game for the Northwoods League Home Run Derby, which begins at 6 pm at “The Duck Pond”, preceding the 7:35 pm first pitch for the 18th annual NWL All-Star Game.
The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.
2012 Full Northwoods All-Star Game Rosters
