Four Spartan Pitchers Signed On in the Northwoods League
Jul 28, 2016
2016 UD Stats
Northwoods League homepage
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Led by All-Iowa Conference righthander, Reed Stumpf, four University of Dubuque pitchers including Trent Van Egtern, Doug Van Dyke, and Jacob Padilla have been signed on to play in the prestigious Northwoods League, a summer collegiate wooden bat league based in the midwest.
The quartet of Spartan starters are late signees for the 18-team league that will conclude its regular season on August 14th. Three of the four will represent Wisconsin teams with Stumpf heading to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Van Egtern playing for the Kenosha Kingfish, and Padilla pitching for the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Van Dyke will be the lone Spartan pitching for the Minnesota-based St. Cloud Rox.
Stumpf, Van Dyke, and Padilla were UD’s primary workhorses in tossing 65.2, 62.1, and 52.1 innings, respectively, during the 2016 season. Each totaled at least 11 appearances with 28 combined starts. Stumpf, a second team All-Iowa Conference selection, paced the Iowa Conference with five complete games and finished the Iowa Conference season with a 4.78 ERA and a 5-2 record. Due to injury, Van Egtern threw just 11.1 innings over four appearances.
The four will compete against some of the top collegiate players in the country in what is widely considered a Top-2 summer league (in terms of talent) and number one in fan attendance. Division III players are few and far between in a league that mainly consists of Division I, NJCAA, or Division II players. Any player with remaining NCAA eligibility can participate in a league that plays 72 games from late May to mid-August and simulates the minor league experience.
