Hottest Starts to the Northwoods League 2026 Season

A hot and muggy Memorial Day marked the start of the 2026 Northwoods League Baseball Season. Through three games, a couple teams with red-hot starts stand out from the pack:

LaCrosse (WI) Loggers 



Division: Great Plains East
Record: 3-0
Runs scored: 54
Runs allowed: 16

Player spotlight: 

Eli Small

Born in Elkhorn, Nebraska, not far from the heart of the Northwoods, Small returns to the Loggers for his second season after finishing his sophomore season at Florida Atlantic University. In the summer of 2025, the outfielder saw 212 at bats for the Lumbermen, hitting .311 with 5 homers, 55 RBI, and 40 runs scored. His previous experience appears to be paying dividends already in 2026. Through a paltry 3 games, he has 8 hits in 14 at bats (.571 batting average) with 11 RBI and 8 runs for the Log Crew.


Mankato (MN) Moon Dogs




Division: Great Plains West
Record: 3-0
Runs scored: 41
Runs allowed: 7

Player Spotlight:

Charlie Buckles

A 6'6, 230 pound first basemen, Buckles is making his Northwoods League debut this summer after finishing his freshman year at Florida State. A native of Bethesda, Maryland, Buckles graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 2025. Recruiting evaluators ranked him the fifth best first basemen in his class, as well as the fifth best prospect from the state of Maryland. Big Buckles has already established himself as a looming presence in the box through two games, going 2 for 5 with 2 homers, and 3 RBI for the Dogs of Night. The two longballs put him in a tie for the league lead early on.

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