Wood Ducks grab three seed for postseason as league play ends this weekend

With just one more Dairyland league game this weekend against Marshfield, the Minocqua Wood Ducks learned their postseason path yesterday. They claimed a 3-seed and will travel to Osseo next weekend, Aug. 9-10. Games will be held at Jon Soiney Memorial Field. 

Other teams in the Wood Ducks’ pool include the No. 1-seeded Cadott Red Sox and No. 2-seeded Washburn Sharptails. 

Manager Doug Etten and the team are excited about how the cards were drawn and how the team is playing ahead of regionals. 

“We were happy with the way the seedings fell. It’s been tough for teams in the Dairyland to get a high enough seed simply because the strength of our league isn’t viewed well,” stated Etten. “Anyone who gets in has a shot.” 

Minocqua will kick things off Saturday, Aug. 9, against Washburn. That game is set for noon. 

“We’ve never played Washburn, but they play in the Upper 13 league, which is mainly B-Division teams,” explained Etten. “Not that it means a whole lot, we still have to do well in all facets of the game. Teams bring their A-game when it comes to the postseason. If our pitchers pitch the way they can, we’ve got an offense and defense that can beat any team in the regional. I really like our chances at getting to the state finals.” 

The winner between Minocqua and Washburn will advance to play Cadott on Sunday, Aug. 10,  at 3 p.m., while the loser will play a second game Saturday, also against Cadott.  The Saturday game would be a 6 p.m. first pitch. 

Etten reiterated that the team has hitters up and down a lineup that can pressure opposing teams. 

“With Landyn Hoeft, Jon Miller, Peter Aerts, Wally Augustyn, Danny Gahler and Austin Samanske going one through six, it’s a tough out for any team to get through there without some damage,” said Etten. 

Aerts leads the team with 15 hits on the season, along with eight RBI to also lead the squad in 13 games played. Samanske and Hoeft each have eight hits, which is third on the team and Jonathan Miller sits at seven.

In this week’s edition of the paper, it was stated that the Dairyland League regular season had ended, which is not the case. Minocqua will face Marshfield again this weekend on Saturday, Aug. 2.