Stingers Announce 2023 Coaching Staff
October 11, 2022 – Northwoods League (Northwoods) – Willmar Stingers News Release
The Willmar Stingers announced today that Freddy Smith will return as the manager when the team opens play in 2023. Smith managed the Stingers deep into the Northwoods League postseason and finished with a franchise best 48-20 record (.706 winning percentage) in 68 regular season games.
Not only will Smith be back in a Stingers uniform but so will pitching coach Michael Newstrom and assistant coach Mason Rapp.
“It’s not very common to get all of your coaches back for consecutive seasons, therefore we are very excited to have these three great coaches back,” Co-owner Marc Jerzak said. “These three coaches are some of the best in the league, and they work each day to make the players better.”
Under the leadership of these three coaches, the team not only set numerous records, but the team came just one game short of the 2022 Northwoods League Championship.
The Stingers swept the St. Cloud Rox in the first-round of the sub-divisional playoffs, winning the NWL Great Plains West Division but fell short the following day in the semi-final game to the Duluth Huskies.
Some of the highlights this past season under the guidance of the coaching staff were breaking the long-standing league record in runs scored. The Stingers managed to score 525 runs in 68 games and put up 20 or more runs in five different games.
The team at one point had a 12-game win streak and ended up leading the league in batting average (.282) and during one stretch won 23 of 25 games. Overall, the Stingers offense was hot throughout the summer finishing 47-15 after the first six games.
“We really had a special group last summer and I can’t tell you how excited I am to be back in Willmar for another summer,” Manager Freddy Smith said.”
For the first time in franchise history, left-handed pitcher Jack Habeck from St. Cloud State University was named the 2022 Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year. The entire team excelled on the mound where they ranked second in earned run average with 3.67 runs allowed per game and walked the fewest batters in the league.
Currently Smith serves as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii, while Newstrom is an assistant coach with Washington State University and Mason Rapp is an assistant coach at nearby University of Minnesota-Morris.
If you would like more information on tickets for the 2023 season, or more information regarding this press release, please contact the Willmar Stingers front office by calling 320-222-2010. For more coverage of the Stingers, visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.
The 2023 season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group, empowering investors with powerful financial advice.
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