Clinton LumberKings

American Minor League baseball team

For the 1937–1941 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League team known as the Clinton Giants and Clinton Owls, see Clinton Owls.

Clinton LumberKings

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Team logo | Cap insignia
Information
League| Prospect League (2021–present) (Western Conference – Northwest Division)
Location| Clinton, Iowa
Ballpark| NelsonCorp Field (1937–present)
Founded| 1954
Nickname(s)| Clinton LumberKings (1994–present)
League championships| 2 (1963, 1991)
Division championships| 6 (1991, 1993, 2010, 2016, 2019, 2021)
Former name(s)|

* Clinton Giants (1939–1941; 1980–1993)
* Clinton Dodgers (1977–1979)
* Clinton Pilots (1966–1976)
* Clinton C-Sox (1960–1965)
* Clinton White Sox (1959)
* Clinton Pirates (1954–1958)
* Clinton Steers (1949)
* Clinton Cubs (1947–1948)
* Clinton Owls (1937–1938)
* Clinton Pilots (1914–1917)
* Clinton Teddies (1910)
* Clinton Infants (1907–1908)
* Clinton Miners (1906)
* Clinton Bridegrooms (1895)

Former league(s)|

* Midwest League (1956–2020)[1]
* Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1954–1955)
* Central Association (1947–1949)
* Three-I League (1937–1941; 1907–1908)
* Northern Association (1910)
* Iowa League of Professional Baseball Clubs (1904–1907)
* Eastern Iowa League (1895)

Mascot| Louie the Lumberking
Ownership| Community owned[2]
General manager| Nate Vander Bleek[3]
Manager| Jack Dahm

The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest League. With Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, Clinton was not selected to continue in affiliated baseball.

The LumberKings play in the Prospect League's Western Conference – Northwest Division along with the Burlington Bees, Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp, and Quincy Doggy Paddlers.[4]

## Clinton baseball history

[edit]

After beginning play in 1895, Clinton had sporadic teams in various leagues over the next few decades, as the Great Depression, World War I and World War II affected many baseball franchises. However, Clinton joined the Midwest League in 1956 and is now the oldest franchise in the league.[1] The team has had several different major league affiliations: the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–38), New York Giants (1939–41), Chicago Cubs (1947–49), Pirates (1954–58 and 1966–68), White Sox (1959–65), Pilots/Brewers (1969–70), Tigers (1971–75), Tigers/White Sox co-op (1976), Dodgers (1977–79), Giants (1980–94), Padres (1995–98), Reds (1999–2000), Expos (2001–02), and Rangers (2003–08), and Mariners (2009–18). In September 2018, they entered into a two-year player development contract with the Miami Marlins.[5]

Aside from its time as the C-Sox (1960–65) and the Pilots (1966–76), the team used the parent major league team's nickname before adopting the LumberKings name for the 1994 season.

The 2010 LumberKings season was the subject of the 2013 book "Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere" by Lucas Mann.[6][7]

In 2016, led by first year manager Mitch Canham, the LumberKings won 86 games to set the mark for most in a regular season by any team in Clinton franchise history. The squad went on to sweep the Peoria Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs before defeating the Cedar Rapids Kernels in a thrilling three-game series. Game three of the Western Division final ended with a Ricky Eusebio walk off hit to win 1–0 in extra innings. The LumberKings would fall, however, in the Midwest League Championship in four games to the Great Lakes Loons.

In addition to playing host to the franchise record setting LumberKings (86-54), the LumberKings transformed their ballpark overnight following game two of the Midwest League Championship to become a football field. The LumberKings played host to Camanche High School Football in the inaugural "LumberBowl." Camanche hosted Williamsburg High School in the game on September 16, 2016. The Raiders of Williamsburg defeated the Indians 55–7.

Following the 2020 season, the LumberKings were cut from the Midwest League and affiliated baseball as part of Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues.[8] They later joined the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league, for 2021.[9]

## NelsonCorp Field

[edit]

Ashford Field. Formerly Alliant Energy Field and Riverview Stadium

The home park for the LumberKings is NelsonCorp Field in Clinton, Iowa. The stadium was built in 1937 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project[10] and named Riverview Stadium, due to its location on the banks of the Mississippi River. It was renamed Alliant Energy Field in 2002 and renovated in 2005–2006 to a capacity of 4,000. It was renamed to Ashford University Field in 2011 and NelsonCorp Field in 2019. The Dimensions are: LF – 330, CF – 401, RF – 325.[11][12][13][14]

## No-hitters

[edit]

Clinton has tossed 25 no-hitters. The list includes the following no-hitters:[15]

Date | Pitcher(s) | Opponent | Score

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|
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August 20, 1957 | Dick Lines | Decatur | 6–0 (7 innings)
June 2, 1959 | Thomas Fisher | Paris | 1–0
June 19, 1960 | Scott Seger | Quincy | 3–0 (7 innings)
May 23, 1963 | Bill Dawson | Fox Cities | 10–0 (7 innings)
June 23, 1964 | Norbert Rodgers | Quincy | 2–0 (7 innings)
June 11, 1967 | John Lamb | Quad City | 3–0 (7 innings)
June 19, 1967 | Joe Barnett | Quincy | 2–0 (7 innings)
August 25, 1967 | Bill Laxton | Waterloo | 2–1 (7 innings)
August 7, 1970 | John Conzatti | Quad Cities | 2–0 (6 innings)
May 3, 1972 | Larry Bracco | Waterloo | 0–1 (7 innings)
May 15, 1978 | Russell McDonald | Wausau | 1–0 (7 innings)
July 16, 1978 | Jim Nobles | Wisconsin Rapids | 7–1 (7 innings)
June 4, 1980 | Jerry Stovall | Wausau | 2–0 (7 innings)
April 20, 1981 | Greg Bangert | Burlington | 4–1 (7 innings)
August 12, 1981 | Mark Grant | Danville | 9–0
May 9, 1983 | Ramon Bautista | Appleton | 2–0 (7 innings)
June 6, 1989 | Chris Hancock, Chris Fye | Burlington | 11–0[16]
May 14, 1992 | Chuck Wanke | Peoria | 5–3
August 4, 1996 | Jim Sak, Todd Bussa | Burlington | 3–0
August 3, 2000 | Scott Dunn | Lansing | 7–0 (Perfect Game)
July 9, 2003 | Domingo Valdez | Kane County | 4–0 (7 innings - G2)
July 11, 2012 | Jordan Shipers | West Michigan | 10–0[17]
July 17, 2013 | Víctor Sánchez | Lansing | 1–0 [18]
May 1, 2015 | Daniel Missaki, Kody Kerski, Troy Scott | Cedar Rapids | 1–0[19]
August 9, 2016 | Pedro Vasquez, Joey Strain, Lukas Schiraldi, Matt Walker | Beloit | 2–0

## Playoffs

[edit]

Clinton LumberKings of the Midwest League

Season | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals
1987 | – | L, 2–1, Springfield | –
1991 | – | W, 2–0, Burlington | W, 3–0, Madison
1993 | – | W, 2–0, Springfield | L, 3–1, South Bend
1998 | W, 2–1, Quad Cities | L, 2–0, West Michigan | –
1999 | L, 2–1, Burlington | – | –
2000 | L, 2–1, Beloit | – | –
2003 | W, 2–1, Kane County | L, 2–1, Beloit | –
2004 | W, 2–0, Cedar Rapids | L, 2–0, Kane County | –
2005 | W, 2–0, Quad Cities | L, 2–0, Wisconsin | –
2007 | W, 2–1, Cedar Rapids | L, 2–0, Beloit | –
2008 | L, 2–0, Cedar Rapids | – | –
2010 | W, 2–1, Cedar Rapids | W, 2–1, Kane County | L, 3–2, Lake County
2011 | L, 2–0, Quad Cities | – | –
2012 | W, 2–1, Beloit | L, 2–0, Wisconsin | –
2013 | L, 2–0, Beloit | – | –
2016 | W, 2–0, Peoria | W, 2–1, Cedar Rapids | L, 3–1, Great Lakes
2019 | W, 2–0, Kane County | W, 2–1, Cedar Rapids | L, 3–0, South Bend
Clinton LumberKings of the Prospect League

Season | Division Championship | Conference Championship | Prospect League Championship Series
2021 | W, 4–3, Normal | L, 3–7, Cape | –
2023 | L, 5–6, Quincy | – | –
2024 | L, 3–0, Illinois Valley | – | –

## Roster

[edit]

Clinton LumberKings roster

* v
* t
* e

Active roster | Coaches/Other

|

Pitchers

* 32 Nick Baffa
* 5 Rylen Blair ‡
* 29 Cole Bormann
* 6 Jackson Bruno
* 24 Jimmy Burke
* 12 Camden Clewett
* 47 JC Dermody
* 15 Hunter Dierksen
* 26 Ethan Dorka
* 44 Tanner Duncan
* 23 Payton Hodges
* 50 Luke Kehrli
* 34 Chance Key
* 14 Brody Meyers
* 36 Will Schufreider
* 16 Garrett Siemsen
* 45 Jaqson Tejada
* 8 Jake Weissenberger
* 46 Jacob Young

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Catchers

* 22 Bryk Barnard
* 31 Max Burt
* 49 Manny Esparza
* 48 Kaden Frommelt
* 13 Noah Thein

Infielders

* 20 Brytton Clements
* 9 Colin Cooncradt
* 11 James Hackett
* 35 Austin Mallee
* 7 Jamie Rasmussen
* 10 Alex Schimmel
* 27 Drew Terpins
* 19 Nick Venteicher
* 28 Brett White
* 25 Sam Wiese

Outfielders

* 3 Danny Gavin
* 18 Joey Hagen
* 33 Matthew Maize
* 17 Brayden Mulkey
* 4 Drew Phillips
* 2 Blake Timmons
* 21 Jaylen Ziegler

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Manager

* 10 Jack Dahm

Coaches

* 1 Trevor Burkhart (third base)
* 49 Mike Funke (pitching)
* 33 Terry McGinn (first base)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

updated May 27, 2025

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* George Soriano (2019)
* Peyton Burdick (2019)
* Jerar Encarnación (2019)
* Sean Guenther (2019)
* José Devers (2019)
* Humberto Mejía (2019)
* Alex Vesia (2019)
* Jack Larsen (2018)
* Ray Kerr (2018)
* Tommy Romero (2018)
* Joey Gerber (2018)
* JP Sears (2017)
* Wyatt Mills (2017)
* Ljay Newsome (2017)
* Seth Elledge (2017)
* Robert Dugger (2017)
* Luis Rengifo (2017)
* Vinny Nittoli (2016)
* Jake Brentz (2016)
* Nick Neidert (2016)
* Art Warren (2016)
* Braden Bishop (2016)
* Pablo López (2016)
* Luis Liberato (2015–2017)
* Alex Jackson (2015–2016)
* Osmer Morales (2015–2016)
* Zack Littell (2015–2016)
* Luiz Gohara (2015–2016)
* Erick Mejia (2015)
* Ryan Yarbrough (2015)
* Thyago Vieira (2014–2015)
* Ian Miller (2014)
* Paul Fry (2014)
* Tyler O'Neill (2014)
* Jack Reinheimer (2014)
* Emilio Pagán (2014)
* Edwin Díaz (2014)
* Tim Lopes (2013)
* Gabriel Guerrero (2013)
* Patrick Kivlehan (2013)
* Dominic Leone (2013)
* Ketel Marte (2012–2013)
* Andrew Kittredge (2012)
* Ji-man Choi (2012)
* Mayckol Guaipe (2012)
* Chris Taylor (2012)
* Jabari Blash (2011–2012)
* John Hicks (2011)
* Roenis Elías (2011)
* Stefen Romero (2011)
* James Paxton (2011)
* Taijuan Walker (2011) MLB All-Star
* Brad Miller (2011)
* Carter Capps (2011)
* Steven Baron (2010–2012)
* Brandon Maurer (2010–2011)
* James Jones (2010)
* Brandon Bantz (2010)
* Nick Franklin (2010)
* Yoervis Medina (2010)
* Stephen Pryor (2010)
* Erasmo Ramírez (2010)
* Tom Wilhelmsen (2010)
* Anthony Vasquez (2009–2010, 2013)
* Brian Moran (2009–2010)
* Bobby LaFromboise (2009)
* Kyle Seager (2009) MLB All-Star
* Maikel Cleto (2009)
* Mitch Moreland (2008)
* Justin Smoak (2008)
* Blake Beavan (2008)
* Neftalí Feliz (2008): 2010 AL Rookie of the Year
* Derek Holland (2008)
* Craig Gentry (2007)
* John Mayberry, Jr. (2006)
* John Danks (2004)
* Ian Kinsler (2004) 4x MLB All-Star
* Edinson Vólquez (2004) MLB All-Star
* Grady Sizemore (2001) 3x MLB All-Star
* Jason Bay (2001): 2004 NL Rookie of the Year
* Ben Broussard (1999)
* Matt Clement (1996) MLB All-Star
* Gary Matthews, Jr. (1995) MLB All-Star
* Bob Howry (1994)
* Mike Myers (1991–92)
* Salomón Torres (1991)
* Steve Reed (1989)
* Royce Clayton (1989) MLB All-Star
* Rod Beck (1988) 3x MLB All-Star
* Mike Remlinger (1987) MLB All-Star
* Matt Williams (1986) 4x GG; 5x MLB All-Star; 1994 NL Home Run Leader
* Dennis Cook (1985)
* Charlie Hayes (1984)
* John Burkett (1984) 2x MLB All-Star; 1993 NL Wins Leader
* Matt Nokes (1982) MLB All-Star
* Rob Deer (1980)
* Chris Brown (1980) MLB All-Star
* Scott Garrelts (1980) MLB All-Star; 1989 NL ERA Leader
* Orel Hershiser (1979): NLCS MVP (1988), WS MVP (1988), NL Cy Young Award (1988)
* Candy Maldonado (1979)
* Steve Sax (1979) 1982 NL Rookie of the Year
* Mitch Webster (1978–79)
* Ron Kittle (1977): 1983 AL Rookie of the Year
* Mike Scioscia (1977) 2x MLB All-Star; Manager: 2002 World Series Champion – California Angels
* Mickey Hatcher (1977)
* Dave Stewart (1977) MLB All-Star; 1987 AL Wins Leader; 1989 World Series MVP
* Dave Rozema (1975)
* Ron LeFlore (1973) MLB All-Star; 2x AL Stolen Base Leader (1978, 1980)
* Jim Leyland (MGR 1972–73) Manager: 1997 World Series Champion – Florida Marlins, Baseball Hall Of Fame Inductee
* Bill Travers (1970) MLB All-Star
* Gorman Thomas (1970) MLB All-Star; 2x AL Home Run Leader (1979,1982)
* Darrell Porter (1970) 4x MLB All-Star; 1982 World Series MVP
* Tom Kelly (1969) Manager: 2x World Series Champion (1987,1991) – Minnesota Twins
* Jim Slaton (1969) MLB All-Star
* Frank Taveras (1968) 1977 NL Stolen Base Leader
* Don Money (1966) 4 x MLB All-Star
* Denny McLain (1962): 2x AL Cy Young Award (1968–1969), AL Most Valuable Player (1968)
* Ken Berry (1961) 2x GG; MLB All-Star
* Tommy McCraw (1960)
* Gerry Arrigo (1960) MLB All-Star
* Al McBean (1958)
* Lou Johnson (1955)
* Dean Stone (1949) MLB All-Star
* Sid Gordon (1939–40), 2x MLB All-Star
* Bing Miller (1914, 1916–17)

Ian Kinsler

Orel Hershiser

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Clinton, Iowa Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
2. ^ "Board of Directors". Clinton LumberKings. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
3. ^ "LUMBERKINGS ANNOUNCE NEW GENERAL MANAGER". lumberkings.com. 9 February 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
4. ^ "2025 Prospect League Standings – Prospect League Baseball". www.prospectleague.com. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
5. ^ "Clinton, Miami Announce New Player Development Contract". Ballpark Digest. September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
6. ^ McAlpin, Heller (May 9, 2013). "Farm Team Saga 'Class A' Hits It Out Of The Park". NPR. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
7. ^ "Class A".
8. ^ "Full MLB Press Release: MLB cuts Clinton LumberKings". Clinton Herald. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
9. ^ Reichard, Kevin (January 13, 2021). "Clinton LumberKings join Prospect League". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
10. ^ "Fund-raising campaign will support L-King efforts". Clinton Herald. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
11. ^ "General Information - Clinton LumberKings Ashford University Field". Clinton LumberKings.
12. ^ "History - Clinton LumberKings Content". Clinton LumberKings.
13. ^ "LumberKings to call NelsonCorp Field home". Clinton Herald. May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
14. ^ "New for 2019: NelsonCorp Field". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
15. ^ "No Hitters". Midwest League Archives.
16. ^ "Burlington Braves at Clinton Giants, June 6th, 1989". Midwest League Archives.
17. ^ "Shipers hurls complete-game no-hitter". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019.
18. ^ "Lansing vs. Clinton - July 17, 2013 - Midwest League Box". Midwest League.
19. ^ Batterson, Steve (13 May 2015). "Clinton pitcher goes from no-hitter to Tommy John in two weeks". The Quad-City Times.

## External links

[edit]

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