ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA — Eau Claire Express outfielder Brigs Richartz will be among those Northwoods Baseball League (NBL) players participating in the League’s Home Run Derby Challenge as part of the NBL All-Star Game activities.
The Northwoods League has announced the participants for the 2024 Northwoods League All-Star Home Run Challenge which will take place the day before the Northwoods League All-Star game on Monday at ISG Field in Mankato, Minnesota. The actual All-Star Game is set for Tuesday evening.
Seven participants from each of the Great Lakes and the Great Plains divisions will be joined by four players from the inaugural season of Northwoods League Softball. The event, which will feature a nine-inning competition, will follow the completion of the Northwoods League Softball game between the La Crosse Steam and the Mankato Habaneros which will start at 5:05 p.m.
In 43 games with the Express as of Thursday, Richartz has 50 hits and 46 runs (seven homeruns) in 163 turns at bat and has posted a batting average of .307.
Home Run Challenge Participants
In addition to Richartz, players chosen to participate from the Great Plains Division are Andrew Sojka and Max Buettenback of the Willmar Stingers, Jackson Cooke of the Thunder Bay Border Cats, Ben Higdon of the St. Cloud Rox, Larry Edwards of the Waterloo Bucks, Kaden Carpenter of the Badlands Big Sticks, and Sailor Hall and Paige Zender, both from the Mankato Habaneros.
Those players selected to participate from the Great Lakes Division are Max Galvin, Wausau Woodchucks; Parker Knoll, Fond du Lac Dock Spiders; Jack Mathey, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters; Blake Guerin, Madison Mallards; Maddox Mihalakis, Rockford Rivets; Max McGwire, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters; Michael Lareau, Royal Oak Leprechauns; Carly Oliver, Madison Night Mares; and Calli Janik of the La Crosse Steam.
The format for the Home Run Challenge is that there will be nine innings with each player having one half inning. The away team (Great Lakes) player bats first in the top of the inning, and home team player next (Great Plains) in the bottom half of the inning.
Each player will receive two minutes to hit as many home runs as they can during their turn. Additionally, each player will be allowed one timeout that they can take at any time during their two minutes, should they choose. Timeouts will be thirty seconds in length.
Should any contestant hit back-to-back home runs, they will be granted an additional 30 seconds of time that will be added on after their original two minutes has completed. No timeouts will be granted during the bonus time session. The team that hits the most Home Runs will be declared the NWL HR Challenge Team Champions.
The individual who hits the most home runs will be declared the NWL HR Challenge Individual Champion.
The 2024 Northwoods League All-Star Game will take place in Mankato, Minnesota, at ISG Field, home of the Mankato MoonDogs on Tuesday, July 23 at 7:05 p.m. The game will also air on ESPN+.
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