Northwoods League to unveil Willmar logo

The Willmar Northwoods League team will unveil their team name and logo on Wednesday, December 2 at the Holiday Inn-Conference Center from 6 pm to 8 pm. The event will feature former Northwoods League player and current Seattle Mariners RHP Chris Jakubauskas. The event also will provide complimentary hot dogs, chips and soda while supplies last. Tickets while supplies last are free of charge and can be picked up at the Holiday Inn starting today.

The Willmar team, officially added as the 15th member of the Northwoods League on Oct 14, conducted a “Name the Team Contest” in the month of October where fans were able to email their suggestions for the team’s name. After over 800 entries were submitted, the team selected the one name that will represent the new franchise in Willmar. The person who submitted the winning name will earn two season tickets for life.

Special guest Jakubauskas played in the Northwoods League for the St. Cloud River Bats in 1999. This past season he made his Major League debut against the Minnesota Twins on April 8th. Jakubauskas finished is rookie season with 8 starts, 1 complete game, 27 relief appearances, 93 innings pitched and a 6-7 record.

The Northwoods League plays more games than, draws more fans than, and plays in venues superior to any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. To date, 60 former Northwoods League players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. The 17th season of Northwoods League baseball will begin in early June 2010 with the release of the schedule expected in December. Willmar, Alexandria, Brainerd, Duluth, Mankato, Rochester, and St. Cloud are the Minnesota cities in the NWL; Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, and Wausau from Wisconsin; Waterloo, Iowa; Battle Creek, Michigan; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. For more information regarding the event please call (320)-492-0355.