Growlers Clinch Playoff Spot for Sixth Time in Seven Seasons
Northwoods Kalamazoo Growlers

Growlers Clinch Playoff Spot for Sixth Time in Seven Seasons

August 8, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Kalamazoo Growlers News Release


[KALAMAZOO, MI] - The Kalamazoo Growlers earned the second Great Lakes East playoff bid with a win Friday night and will host the Traverse City Pit Spitters in the first playoff game on Sunday, August 10 with first pitch scheduled for 5:05pm ET.

Fans can take advantage of tickets ranging from $10-$50 for the playoff game.

$10 tickets receive a box seat with food & drink rail on first base side

$30 tickets receive a Suite Seat under the awning with an all-you-can-eat buffet and three drink tabs that can be used for adult beverages.

$50 tickets receive a Home Plate Club table with an all-you-can-eat buffet and five drink tabs that can be used for adult beverages. These must be purchased in groups of 4 ($200 total).

The best-of-three series will have games two and three (if necessary) played in Traverse City at Turtle Creek Stadium on Monday, August 11 and Tuesday, August 12.

This matchup with the Pit Spitters will be the fourth time the two teams have met up in the playoffs, with Kalamazoo beating Traverse City en route to their first Northwoods League title in 2022. The opposite was true in 2019, with the Pit Spitters defeating the Growlers en route to their inaugural title.

The second round is a one-game series hosted between the winners of the Great Lakes East & West round one winners. The third and final championship round would be a one-game series between the winners of the Great Plains and Great Lakes divisions hosted at the field of the team with the better overall record. Dates, times and locations for those games are to be determined.

Two teams from each division clinch a post-season berth. Teams and seeds are determined by winners of the first half and second half of the East and West divisions of the Great Lakes and Great Plains conferences.

If the same team has the best record during both the first half and second half of the season, then the team with the second best overall record in the division clinches a playoff berth. This is how the Growlers clinched a playoff berth in 2025 following the win over the Battle Creek Battle Jacks on Friday, August 8.

The win also clinched a regular season win percentage over .500 for the fourth consecutive season, and seventh time under Field Manager Cody Piechocki.

"This is a group whose greatest strength is how much they care for each other. It's by far the most players I've ever had go wire-to-wire from Game 1 to Game 72," said Piechocki. "They choose hard every single day, and their growth over the summer has been an incredible journey to witness. I'm beyond grateful for their hard work, resilience, and dedication to this organization."

The Growlers were led by their offense this summer, leading the Great Lakes East in runs (524), on-base percentage (.412), slugging (.368), and OPS (.780), while finishing with the second fewest strikeouts (492).

The players leading the charge were a mix of familiar and new faces. Antonio Perrotta, a 2024 returner, led the team in RBI's, with 49, while Brodey Acres, another Growler returner, was possibly the best all-around player, with a .432 on-base percentage, 53 runs, 24 stolen bases, and 49 walks.

The newcomers were led by two Notre Dame products, with Noah Coy leading the team in average (.363), on-base percentage (.494), slugging (.494), and OPS (.966) while playing shortstop. Jayce Lee was a huge power threat for the Growlers lineup, leading Kalamazoo in doubles (13), while driving in 38 runs and scoring 38.

The pitching staff was anchored at the top with Jack Crittendon excelling from opening day, leading the Growlers and Northwoods League in wins with eight, who set a Kalamazoo record for wins in a summer, while Rocco Bernadina, who didn't make his first start until June 22nd, held a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings as a starter with his 52 total strikeouts ranking in the top five of the Northwoods League.

The Growlers found success with Bernadina on the bump, winning six of his seven starts. Bernadina pitched just days prior to the clincher, throwing six innings of two-run ball, and Crittendon pitched the playoff at-bat.

The backend of the bullpen was also particularly successful for Kalamazoo with Bryce Brassfield, Bryce Brannon, and Donny Tober completing the bulk of the work late in the season.



Northwoods League Stories from August 8, 2025


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