No MLB This Summer? Plenty Of Baseball In Central Minnesota!

As of this writing, Major League Baseball owners still have "locked out" the players while a Collective Bargaining Agreement is negotiated at a snail's pace. It's the new national pastime: billionaires fighting millionaires over billions of dollars to play some baseball six months out of the year.

At this point it seems like Spring Training will be delayed at best and as days go by it becomes more and more likely the regular season will be affected as well.

Whether or not Major League Baseball plays in 2022, there are a lot of fun options to take in a ballgame right here in Central Minnesota!

Before we get into the baseball teams in the area, I also want to mention there are a lot of great softball teams in the area with three colleges and five high school teams with games locally.

HIGH SCHOOL GAMES 

From the Eagles and Tigers right here in St. Cloud to the ROCORI Spartans in Cold Spring, there are a ton of local teams to watch play on a given afternoon or night. The games are always competitive and most of the fields in the area have concessions and seating available. Plus, the money you pay for your ticket is going back toward the school.

During the summer the high school players join their local American Legion teams for games that are open to fans as well.

PHOTO: SCSU Athletics

COLLEGE TEAMS 

There are three college baseball teams in the area.

St. Cloud State plays Division II NCAA Baseball with home games played at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. The Huskies' season is already underway, with practices held in the Husky Dome and games played in the southern United States. Their home opener is scheduled for Saturday, April 2nd.

St. John's University plays at the NCAA Division III level in Collegeville and a brand new, all turf field. The Johnnies open the season at US Bank Stadium on March 1st before their home opener Tuesday, March 22nd.

St. Cloud Technical and Community College is a NJCAA Division III program with a long track record of success.

NORTHWOODS LEAGUE 

The St. Cloud Rox are a summer collegiate baseball team, meaning they bring current college players from around the country to town for the summer to hone their skills against other top players.

The Rox feature a fun, family-friendly atmosphere and have tickets at varying price levels.

AMATEUR BASEBALL (TOWN BALL) 

When MLB stopped allowing fans during the pandemic I ended up taking my kid to a few Sartell Muskies games. He had room to run around and play and I got to watch some good baseball for a couple hours. Win-win.

There are a ton of local amateur baseball teams in town, with many playing at the same fields used by the high schoolers in the spring. Players live in the community they represent on the field and there a  lot of fun local rivalries.