Woodchucks Clinch Playoff Spot on Final Day of Regular Season
Northwoods Wausau Woodchucks

Woodchucks Clinch Playoff Spot on Final Day of Regular Season

Published on August 9, 2025 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Wausau Woodchucks News Release


WAUSAU, WI- After two and half months of amazing, unforgettable baseball, Wausau's summer came down to one game. The Woodchucks came into Saturday afternoon with a simple mission: win against Wisconsin Rapids, and they would make the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.

The game was far from easy, but that was a representation of Wausau's season. When the team had their backs against the wall, they found a way, and never quit, and that was all on display in Wausau's 5-3 win over Wisconsin Rapids.

With the win, Wausau advanced to the postseason and claimed home field advantage in the first round of the Northwoods League playoffs. It's the 10th postseason appearance in Woodchucks franchise history, and the third time Wausau has made the playoffs under Corey Thompson.

In the process, Wausau beat out Madison for the second and last playoff spot in the division, eliminating the Mallards from postseason contention. The result finished off a thrilling playoff race that lasted the final two weeks of the regular season between the two rivals. It was also revenge for the Woodchucks after Madison eliminated Wausau in the playoffs last summer.

In addition, today's win was the 20th consecutive win at home for Wausau. The Woodchucks did not lose at home in the second half, and now hold a record of 29-5 at Athletic Park- one win shy of the franchise record for total wins at home in a single season. Wausau also finished 6-0 against Wisconsin Rapids at home, the third different team that the Woodchucks went undefeated against at Athletic Park.

Wausau took the lead early. In the first, Christian Smith-Johnson (Texas A&M-CC) laid down an infield bunt single and forced an error for the Wisconsin Rapids defense that scored Noah Malone (Loyola Marymount) and made it 1-0. The next hitter, Dylan Schlotterback (Paris JC/Kansas) doubled Wausau's lead when he brought in Smith-Johnson on a sacrifice fly. The Woodchucks have managed to score a run in the first three innings in each of their last 11 home games.

Wisconsin Rapids got on the board in the second inning to make it 2-1, but Wausau got that run right back in the third. After Smith-Johnson started the inning by reaching first on a hit-by-pitch, he stole second base and third base to make his way to third. Max Soliz Jr. (Kansas) would register his team-leading 65th RBI of the summer when he grounded out and brought Smith-Johnson in. Smith-Johnson finished the day with two hits and helped Wausau steal eight bases, the second-most in a single game for the Woodchucks this season.

Then, in the fifth, Wausau got the insurance they needed. After a double steal went poorly, which ended with a Woodchucks' runner thrown out at the plate, Dom Rodriguez (Arizona) gave Wausau its biggest swing of the summer. On a full count pitch, Rodriguez, mashed a two-run home run over the bullpen in left field, giving Wausau the insurance runs they needed to secure the win and their playoffs. It was the seventh home run of the summer for Rodriguez, and his 14th career Northwoods League game.

One of the biggest stories of the day, however, was Wausau's pitching. With the season on the line, Tyler Fredrick (Carroll) put together one of the best starts of his career. Pitching at Athletic Park for the first time ever, Fredrick became the third Wausau pitcher this year to go seven innings. It was the sixth time in Fredrick's career that he made it through seven innings, and he made his start count, striking out five, only walking one hitter, and earning his first Northwoods League win.

However, the game became tight late, and up stepped Kade Douglas (CSU-Pueblo) out of the bullpen. In his final regular season game of his collegiate career, Douglas earned a six-out save, his second of the summer. Douglas picked up a strikeout during his outing, and forced the final Rafter hitter to ground out, giving Wausau relief in the end.

The Woodchucks finish the regular season with a 46-23 record, winning two-thirds of the games they played in. Wausau also finished the second half with a 25-9 record, one of only two Northwoods League teams to hit the 25-win mark in the second half.

Now, Wausau's attention turns to the postseason, where they will play in the Great Lakes Divisional series against a familiar foe: Green Bay. The Rockers denied Wausau a chance at the playoffs in the first half when they beat the Woodchucks at Athletic Park in late June. They currently hold a 42-27 record and are the only team to have a winning record against Wausau this season, going 7-5 against the Woodchucks in the regular season.

The teams begin a Best-Of-Three game series tomorrow. Since Wausau had a better overall record than Green Bay, the Woodchucks will have home-field advantage during the series. That means game one of the series will be in Green Bay tomorrow, Sunday, with a 5:05 p.m. first pitch at Capital Credit Union Park.

After game one, the series shifts back to Wausau. On Monday, the Woodchucks will play game two of the series at Athletic Park, with game time set for 6:05 p.m. If a game three is necessary, that will be played in Wausau on Tuesday night, with a projected start time of 6:35 p.m.

On the other side of the bracket, the Traverse City Pit Spitters and Kalamazoo Growlers will duke it out in the Great Lakes East Divisional Series. The winner of that series will play the winner of the Wausau-Green Bay series in the Great Lakes Championship Game, which is on Wednesday, August 13, with a time and place yet to be determined. The winner of the Great Lakes Championship game will go to the Summer Collegiate World Series, which will be played on Thursday to crown a Northwoods League champion.

This year's postseason gives Wausau the opportunity to right their wrongs from last season's playoff run. After the Woodchucks beat Madison on the road in game one of the three-game divisional series, Wausau lost both game two and game three at home, ending their record-breaking season where they won 50 games. If Wausau makes it past Green Bay, it would be the first time Wausau advanced in the postseason since 2003- the last time they won a Northwoods League title.

Once again, the Woodchucks begin their playoff run tomorrow when they travel to face the Green Bay Rockers at 5:05 p.m. The first home playoff game for Wausau will be Monday, August 11, with a 6:05 p.m. start time. Fans can purchase tickets for playoff games at Athletic Park by using the link below: https://wausau-woodchucks.nwltickets.com/SingleGame/Tickets/SelectSeats/8237

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Northwoods League Stories from August 9, 2025


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