There are 26 teams that participate in the Northwoods League and each team has roughly 30 players per team. That means roughly 780-800 players that are improving their game before returning back to their colleges and university teams.

Occasionally, those players make the jump to the Major League Baseball (MLB) to continue their time playing the game and making it their profession. An example is Max Scherzer, a three time Cy Young winner, who played in the Northwoods League for the La Crosse Loggers.

One of the most recent players to make that jump is Ryan Stafford who was on the Badlands Big Sticks previously was drafted this week. The catcher from Cal Poly is the highest Big Stick ever drafted. Stafford heard his name called during the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. The Baltimore Orioles made the catcher out of California Polytechnic State University the 160th overall selection.

Stafford joined the Big Sticks’ roster in 2021, after finishing his senior season at Folsom High School (Folsom, CA). Despite being the youngest member of the roster, he still earned his way onto the all-star team.

He played in 52 games that season, slashing .305/.405/.455 with 15 doubles, 3 home runs, and drove in 28 RBI. He also scored 35 runs and recorded 14 multiple hit games, which included four three-hit games and one four-hit game. In addition, he was the primary catcher for that season, leading the club in innings spent behind the plate.

In the past three seasons at Cal Poly, Stafford has flourished even further, demonstrating an immediate impact as a 2022 Freshman All-American. In 172 career games, he has slashed .334/.407/.499 as he has compiled 238 hits, 60 doubles, 16 home runs, 123 RBIs, and 146 runs scored.

Stafford also showed defensive prowess among the top catchers in the nation. In 2024, he was named Big West Defensive Player of the Year and was named a finalist for the Buster Posey Award. The prestigious award recognizes the best catcher in college baseball. Stafford was one of three finalists and the first catcher in Cal Poly history to do so.

Players are not the only members of the Northwood League to grow in the process. Coaches are part of that process as well.

Big Sticks Field Manager, Jordan Price, has stepped down from his position after accepting a full-time coaching position with Metropolitan State University of Denver. Price’s final game with the Big Sticks was an 18-5 victory over the Bismarck Larks on Sunday, July 14th.

Jordan Price has been with the organization since 2022 when he was hired as the team’s pitching coach. He was named Field Manager prior to the 2023 season and finished that season with a 32-22 record. He remained at the helm for the 2024 season, the Big Sticks’ first in the Northwoods League. He departs with a total record of 52-49 over his 2 seasons as Field Manager.