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 Welcome to 2012 River Rats Baseball!

Class "A" Park National League

Minnesota Amateur Baseball

2011 Overall Record: 13-18

2011 Park National Record: 7-9

 

 

Add the Rats to your 2012 schedule! 

We are currently looking to add non-league games and would prefer to play on your home field (due to the high cost of Minneapolis fields).  Please contact Paul Loeffler at 612-481-7743, paul@loeffler.com or paul.loeffler.p3bx@statefarm.com for scheduling.

 

Looking for a team to play for in 2012? Play for a team on the rise!

  In 2011, the Rats finished their best season in the 8 year team history under new manager Paul Loeffler.  The season included a 3 week ICU hospital visit for one pitcher, an odd elbow injury for another, yet the Rats persevered and competed in (arguably) one of the toughest leagues in the state.  With a healthier squad, several players jumping on the P90X bandwagon, and 1 year of managerial experience under P LEF's belt, the Rats have high expectations for 2012.

 

Let us know if you are interested in playing for Rats.  Contact Paul.

 

***NEWS RELEASE***

8/10 Ratty awards tentatively scheduled for Friday, August 26th. Thomas, don't forget to bring your own shampoo.  Managerial remarks coming soon.

8/9 All three Rat all-stars contribute as the Park National All Stars take down the Riverview All Stars. Tim Gerding drove in and scored a run.  Jack Watson reached base a couple times adding a run scored as well.  Shawn Travis closed out the game for the Park National to gain the save.  Shawn faced only four hitters, striking out one. Congrats to the P-Nash All-Stars and good luck to the Warriors, Lakers, and Angels in the Class A State Tournament!

8/4 Warriors sweep Rats. Good season.

8/1 Game #1 vs Warriors postponed due to weather. Game #1 rescheduled for Tuesday, August 2nd. 6:15pm start at Parade Stadium.  Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) as scheduled.

7/30 Amen! Hallelujah!  The Rats take down the Cobras 8-3 in the single elim Saturday matchup.  Everyone on the team contributed but no more than the pitching from Shawn Travis and Adam Cook.  Both pitchers came through huge in this definitive victory.  The Rats will take on the Warriors in what we all hope to be a instant classic three game series.  Game 1 Monday night. 7pm at Parade Stadium.

7/27 The Rats had Stockmen's Irish on the ropes but the Irish lineup pounded three home runs that ultimately decided the game. This game showed the Rats can play with anyone no matter what the lineup or battery may be.

7/25 Rocks crushed the Rats.

7/24 Rats continue their slide losing another tough one to the Patriots. Rats led this one 6-3 and then it was the Patriots turn for timely hitting.  Rats have a tough match-up tomorrow versus the Rocks that will close out the league regular season and determine their final seeding for the playoffs.

7/22 Rats lose a tough one to the Merchants. With a 3-0 lead going into the 7th, the Rats starter was gassed. The Merchants used a good eye at the plate and timely hitting to tie the game and later take the lead in extras.

7/20 Rosemount slides past the Rats 7-5 as the Rats harness their intensity for this weekends big league matchups vs Merchants, Patriots, and Rocks respectively. "Little" Duffy does a great job filling in on the mound.

7/18 Lakers beat the Rats 4-1.  The Rats had the bases loaded in the 7th with one out when we hit into our third tailor made double play of the game.  The Rats made mistakes and the Lakers capitalized.  In addition, we all found out that Will Watson is the toughest dude on the baseball field.  He took a ball straight to the mouth and was rushed to the hospital.  He will be ok and at this time it appears that surgery may not be needed.  Get well soon Will.

Game vs Rocks is rescheduled for Monday, July 25th at Parade stadium for 8:30pm.  Unfortunately, the game vs Burnsville will have to be cancelled to make way for this game.  Thanks again Mike Castle for cancelling a game that should have been played.

7/14 Game rained out vs Rocks when it should not have been.  Perfect night for baseball wasted. Game to be rescheduled early next week.

7/10 Perfect day for baseball ruined by last night's rain.  Game vs Watertown cancelled.

7/9 Jack Watson & Tim Gerding represent the Rats and the Park National League in the 1st Annual Class "A" Baseball Hall of Fame game at Dunning Field in St. Paul.

7/8 Piepho Wedding. Crush.

7/7 Jeff Riman gives the Rats 5 scoreless innings as the Rats beat up on the Hampton Cardinals at Miesville's immaculate field.  On a perfect night for baseball, the Rats played a nearly perfect game.  Pitchers were efficient, the defense turned 4 double plays, and the highlight of the game came in the 7th;  Tim Duffy hit a moonshot 3-run blast to left center and Dave Nahey came to the plate two batters later to hit one of his own.  We are traveling to Watertown to play the Red Devils at 2pm.

7/6 The Rats bounce back after much needed rest away from the game to beat a tough Angels team 6-3. Both teams battled a tough strike zone all game but the Rats prevailed with pitching in the end.  Shawn Travis threw 5 1/3 to gather the win and Adam Cook crushed an inning and 2/3 for a great save.  The Rats play Hampton tomorrow night at Miesville's beautiful field. See you tomorrow night!

6/30 The Rats and Bloomington Bandits were two teams clearly looking forward to some time off away from baseball.  Both teams walked several players and made errors in the field. In the end, the Bandits were victorious 9-6.  Everyone wished Jose would have been there to see how well Will played in the lead-off spot.

6/29 A young and talented Hopkins squad beat up on the Rats dilapidated pitching rotation.  Highlight of the game was Aaron Clark's scoreless inning on the mound.  We will never hear the end of this.

6/27  Revenge at its best.  The first match-up against the Cobras was down right embarrassing as the Rats kicked the ball all over the field and handed a 10 run walk off win to the Cobras.  This time around the Rats return the favor in a 10 run walk off victory of their own. 11 different Rats collected hits in this contest (franchise record.) Shawn Travis continued his winning ways in a solid start on the mound.  The Rats celebrated by taking advantage of the $7.99 3 topping Domino's carry out special.  I would highly recommend.  Two tough non-league contests ahead versus the Hopkins Berries and the Bloomington Bandits and then a well-deserved week of rest.

6/23 Rats beat Warriors. Huh?  After one of the worst performances in team history the Rats bounce back to beat their rival Warriors.  A 6 run inning tells the story of this game as the Rats battle through injury and lineup changes throughout the game (and the season) to get the job done.  The highlights of the night occurred at the after party as members of the opposition found themselves in a little cat fight over whose bat is longer.  The Rats enjoyed their victory while remembering their 17-0 debacle from three nights prior.

6/20 Not our best.

6/17 Who doesn't love a good storyline? Riman on his way to the college World Series, Cook on his way to visit friends in Duluth, Geoff Fuller eating late night spaghetti before his marathon, and Ari unable to pitch due to a last minute injury.  The Rats turn to Shawn Travis about 15 minutes before the game vs the Rocks to give us a chance in this game.  Shawn pitched the game of his life throwing a two-hit, complete game shutout, to take down the Rocks.  There has been no better pick-me-up in Rats history than this one.  Great defense. Great pitching. Great win.

6/14 Game vs Patriots postponed due to weather. Makeup game likely in late July.

6/10 The Rats got off to an early lead scoring two quick runs in the first.  Then the bats went silent, the rain came, the Blue Sox tricked our left fielder, rain delay, suicide squeeze, then a clutch hit had us all tied up after 4 1/2.  Jack Watson took it upon himself to throw on his PF flyers and steal second, steal third, and score on a throwing error.  Mike Castle was sick of a long week of baseball and called the game about 5 seconds after Jack scored giving the Rats a cheap win. Thanks Mike.

6/8 Rats drop one to the Angels.  Both teams hit the ball well. In clutch situations the Angels found a way to get the ball to creep through the hole where the Rats just missed.

6/5   Notes from the Sioux Falls Trip. Named were not used to protect the innocent.

Friday
-several cars were mooned on the trip down.  We were not driving at night.
-van has very little control as winds gust up to 30 mph.
-a significant other for one of the Rats decided to take half of the 
team's equipment to the hotel, take a dip in the pool, then dropped our 
equipment off 15 minutes before game time.
-Rats get squashed in game 1. Embarrassing. One pitcher threw 9 
consecutive balls in the dirt.
-The team drove around in the 15 passenger beast Friday night for 45 
minutes looking for food and beverage. Once the team arrived at Buffalo 
Wild Wings, several beverages were consumed in a short period of time. One 
player took it upon himself to "bark at the moon" all over the bathroom.
Saturday
-Early morning wakeup call from coach. 5 star breakfast buffet including 
toast and juice.
-Sweet comeback win over Spencer, Iowa. One shortstop nearly got kicked 
out of the game several times but the umpire didn't have the balls to pull 
the trigger.
-Game 2 Geoff Fuller throws a complete game shutout. This is after 
throwing 4 innings against Spencer in game 1 on Saturday.-Free keg, pizza, and patio area from the tournament at the Holiday Inn.
-Several players wander over to wedding reception and proceed to crash the 
wedding. One shortstop danced with the bride.
-A couple players wander over to a bar that is widely known as a gay bar. 
Not surprising.-30 tacos from taco Johns. $37.59. Rip off.
-Several players laid faced down in the middle of the hotel hallway as we 
retreated to our rooms. It looked like a battle scene.
Sunday
-Entire team in the van by checkout.  How?
-Team lunch at Chinese restaurant.  Over-hyped, but coach picks up tab.
-Team arrives home safely with the same number of players that it started 
with. Surprising.  

6/1 The Rats appeared to be continuing their week off from baseball against the Cobras.  Five uncharacteristic infield errors and little to no focus at the plate gave the Cobras an easy win.  The Rats will hit the road to Sioux Falls where they will give it their best in the 1st annual Border Classic.

5/25 Another complete game performance by the Rats evens the league record to 2-2.  Ben Schultz pounded the zone and gave up just one run with two outs in the 7th.  Travis Piepho came through with a bases clearing triple that opened up the score to 5-0.  With the wind blowing in hard from left the Rats knew that was all they needed.  The Fuller brothers also contributed a couple double play combos to round up the most complete game of the year for the Rats. Nice bounce back win.

5/24 The Rats gave up 5 runs in the first without earning a single out.  The Patriots would not score the rest of the game, however 5 runs was enough.  Rats could only muster up 4.  Another league match-up tomorrow versus a hungry Metro Merchants squad.

5/22 Game vs St. Anthony canceled due to weather. American Pie Patriots (Gators/Homies) on Tuesday.

5/19 Geoff Fuller throws a complete game gem to beat the Blue Sox. Geoff struck out 12 while walking only 2. Great hustle and aggressiveness on the basepaths put a lot of pressure on the Blue Sox defense.  The Rats even out their league record to 1-1 and season record to 3-3 as they look ahead to the St. Anthony Hogs on Sunday afternoon.

5/17 Rats win parking lot battle vs. Warriors. Not even close.  The Warriors took advantage of early opportunities and the hole was too big for the Rats to climb out.  Aaron Clark and Tim Gerding each added two hits as the Rats put good wood on the ball but come up short.  Next league match-up is Thursday against the Blue Sox.

5/14 Bandits beat Rats. Did we have 9 guys in the field?  It felt like 8. Four dropped fly balls explains this game.  Rats fight back but to no avail.

5/11 Today was the first overall solid game for the Rats as they take down the Metro Knights in their opener. Ben Schultz and Ari Keating were very efficient.  Both threw 3 innings of scoreless ball.  Defense was solid behind out pitchers. The offensive attack was led by Paul Loeffler who contributed 3 hits and scored 3 runs.  Let's not forget Brian Smith's offensive outburst that included a laser beam falling between the pitcher and second baseman and then a head first slide that nearly put him in a long term care facility.  One more non-league game on Sunday vs the East Bethel Bandits before league play begins on Tuesday May 17th.

5/6 Rats pull off the win against the St. Paul Mudhens.  Both teams were quite rusty however the Rats bats prevailed. Andrew Bryant led the way with 3 RBI and pitching looking much better than the previous game.  Next up, another preseason match-up vs the Metro Knights.  This is the first game between these two teams in their history.

5/3 Rats lose opener to the St. Francis Saints 7-1.  The score was certainly not indicative how the Rats played. The Rats scattered 9 hits led by 3 from veteran Jack Watson and added several hard hit outs.  The Saints took advantage of nearly every scoring opportunity, so kudos to them.  Pitching was solid and defense was rusty in game #1.  The Rats look forward to a competitive match-up against the St. Paul Mudhens on Friday.

04/19/2011 Aaron Clark finally mailed in his tax return so he can begin his 2 week binge to get ready for game #1.

 

03/13/2011 Today the Rats officially sign a big bat in Jose Lara.  Jose loves the game, plays hard, and will be a a great addition to the River Rat family. He will play a variety of infield positions and we hope to see him in the lineup every day.  Another home run threat for the Rats!  He is also looking to sign up new Zumba clients immediately.  

The second addition comes from the disbanded Bombers squad from our league, Tim Gerding.  Tim is currently playing OF for the Augsburg Auggies and will play both OF and will catch from time to time as well.  Tim adds speed, power, and sex appeal to a team that was lacking in all three areas.  Tim addition adds a lot of depth to an improving River Rat squad.The third addition is Josh Swift.  Josh currently play semi-pro football and will play a role in the OF and as a pinch runner.  Swift's name describes his role pretty accurately.  Our hope is that he wil find his baseball instincts and be an important player that adds a lot of depth to our team.

 

02/24/2011 The Rats made another addition to their pitching staff today in left hander Adam Cook.  Adam is a Junior at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.  Adam played for a very strong baseball program in Armstrong Cooper in High School and has continued the trend with UMD for college ball.  Adam will bring a live arm and much need pitching depth to the Rats.  We look forward to him crushing on the mound!

In addition, the Rats have added a game against a perennial state tournament team, the Elko Express.

02/14/2011 It's Valentine's Day and the Rats are feeling the love!  The Rats have made three key additions in the last couple weeks.  The first is a former player that has decided to come back and play with a few old friends.  Ari Keating will serve as a pitcher for the Rats and will fill a huge void as a veteran presence on the mound. We look forward to seeing Ari (period)

1/26/2011 The Rats re-signed infielder Thomas "Downtown Tommy" Fuller to another lifetime contract.  We interviewed Downtown Tommy (DT) after the signing and the only response he gave us to any questions was: "downtown Chintown." We are excited to have his energy and baseball knowledge back on the team.

01/17/2011 River Rats accept invitation to Sioux Falls Invitational Tournament June 3rd-5th.

      12/28/2010 (Associated Press) The Minneapolis River Rats have signed Paul Loeffler to a 5 year contract to manage the Minneapolis River Rats of the Park National League.  The deal is reportedly worth -$10,000 spread out over the course of the five years with a bonus option to pitch in a couple games.

 

 
in Player Management for more information: nahe0001@umn.edu 

If you are interested in playing for the River Rats contact Dave Nahey in Player Management for more information: nahe0001@umn.edu

 
 

 Paul Loeffler-Manager

 

Cell- (612) 481-7743

Email- paul@loeffler.com