By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – With COVID-19-related travel restrictions still in place at the U.S./Canada border, the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Border Cats announced last March that they would have to drop out of the Northwoods League for the 2021 season.

That forced the summer collegiate league to get a bit creative in an effort to fill the void.

Hence, the creation of the Minnesota Mud Puppies.

Though the franchise – which was created for this season only – is based in the Twin Cities area, it will not play a single home game.
  Instead, the Mud Puppies, whose roster includes three members of the baseball team at Saint John's University, are playing only the road games Thunder Bay would have played – a total of 36 in all.

Players are eligible for the NWL all-star game and other league honors, but the team (because of its abbreviated schedule) is not eligible for the postseason.

"Being on the road every game can get a little hard," said rising senior pitcher Nathan Brandecker, who struck out 53 batters in 57 innings of work as a junior on the mound for the Johnnies this past spring.

"You never have anyone cheering for you. But, at the same time, it's kind of fun to always be the underdog. In a way, you have the best of both worlds. You get the full Northwoods League experience, but you are also able to be at home and do some of the other stuff you'd like to do over the summer."

Brandecker is joined on the team by fellow Johnnies Sam Hanson (a rising junior pitcher) and Ethan Roe (a rising senior catcher).

"I've learned a lot so far playing on this team," said Roe, who led the MIAC with 13 home runs this past spring. "There are things I'm able to get away with against MIAC pitching that I can't do as successfully when guys are consistently throwing 90 to 95 miles-per-hour like they are here. If I really want to be the best ballplayer I can be, it's a wide-world out there. And I have to see how I fare against this kind of level of competition."

"I've really enjoyed the experience," added Hanson, who played in the Northwoods League for the Bismarck (N.D.) Larks last summer. "Even without playing home games, it's still a great opportunity to get in front of the eyes of all the scouts who are at the games. And it's fun to show up at all these different stadiums and be part of that atmosphere."

Unlike players on other teams, who spend the summer living with host families, players on the Mud Puppies either live at home, with teammates or other family members, or on their own in the Twin Cities.

The team is based out of Eagan and typically gathers for a practice or two before the start of each road trip. But there is plenty of down time in between. 

For example, the team finished a seven-day, seven-game road trip to St. Cloud, Bismarck and Mandan (N.D.) on June 25. Then it did not return to action until beginning a four-game road trip to Rochester and Willmar on July 6.

"It can be hard to generate momentum if you win a game, then you're off for 10 days," Brandecker said. "That's been a little tricky. But we have really bonded as a team. 

"If you're going from Bismarck to Mankato on the bus, that's a long ride. So we spend a lot of time around each other and everybody gets a long really well."

And Roe said the experience will come in handy when the trio are back with the Johnnies next season.

"That's really my goal here," he said. "To better my game so I can come back to Saint John's next season and help us contend for a national title."

Trapp in Rochester
Rising junior southpaw Casey Trapp debuted with the NWL's Rochester Honkers July 1 and is 1-0 with a spotless 0.00 ERA, .182 opponent batting average and seven strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched (through July 15).

He led the Johnnies in strikeouts (61) and was second in appearances (15) and innings pitched (57.0) this spring. Right-handed batters posted a .191 (35-for-183) batting average against Trapp, who allowed one earned run (combined) in four of his five losses (17.2 IP).