| Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | |
| League: | Northwoods League |
| Division: | Great Lakes West 2019–present) (South Division 2017–2018 |
| Location: | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin |
| Stadium: | Herr-Baker Field |
| Founded: | 2016 |
| League Champs: | 1 (2018) |
| Division Champs: | 2 (2018, 2020) |
| Colors: | Navy Blue, Lake Blue, Tan |
| Owner: | Third Base Ventures[1] |
| Management: | Jim Misudek |
| Manager: | Doug Coe |
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League (a collegiate summer baseball league). Based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Dock Spiders play their home games at Herr-Baker Field on the campus of Marian University. The Dock Spiders won the 2018 Northwoods League Championship and 2020 Northwoods League Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Championship.
On August 15, 2016, it was announced that the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Class A Midwest League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) had partnered with Marian University to bring the 20th Northwoods League team to Fond du Lac. The on-campus Herr-Baker Field underwent renovations to accommodate the team.[2]
A name-the-team contest was held, with the five finalists being Barn Owls, Dock Spiders, Lake Flies, Pipsqueaks and Shantymen. On November 21, the Dock Spiders name, logo and colors were officially announced.[3] [4] The team appeared in Sports Illustrated as the best attention-grabbing new baseball club name for 2017.[5] The team logo was designed by San Diego marketing firm Brandiose.[6]
In 2017, the team's inaugural season, the Dock Spiders went 38-34 (.528).[7] After posting a 16–20 record in the first half, the Dock Spiders went 22–14 in the second half to finish 3 games out of 1st place. The overall record put the Dock Spiders in a tie for the final playoff spot in the South Division; however, the Dock Spiders missed on a 3-way tiebreak with the Lakeshore Chinooks (who made the playoffs) and the Madison Mallards.[8] In 2018, the Dock Spiders compiled a 39–31 overall record (.557) to take the final playoff spot in the South Division, with split-half records of 21-13 and 18-18. In the playoffs, the Dock Spiders won road games over the Madison Mallards 17-5 [7] and the Kalamazoo Growlers 3-1 [7] to win the South Division title and advance to the championship series against the Duluth Huskies. Fond du Lac won the opening game of the best-of-3 series 3–0 at home,[7] then lost at Duluth 8-1 [7] before winning the deciding game 4-3 [7] to clinch the team's first Northwoods League title in the franchise's second season of play. In 2019, the Dock Spiders went 36–35. During the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season, the Dock Spiders claimed the Northwoods League Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Championship. They defeated the La Crosse Loggers 14–3.
Following the 2020 season, team owners Appleton Baseball Club, Inc, sold the team to Third Base Ventures, LLC, a group consisting of principal owner Craig Dickman and minority owners team president Rob Zerjav and Brad Raaths.[1]
| Name | Highest Level Team | Professional Organization | Years with Dock Spiders | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Fortes | Miami Marlins[9] | Miami Marlins | 2017 | |
| Luke Mangieri | West Virginia Power | Pittsburgh Pirates (A) | 2017 | |
| Mike Pascoe | Lansing Lugnuts | Toronto Blue Jays (A) | 2017 | |
| K. V. Edwards | Hudson Valley Renegades | Tampa Bay Rays (A Short-Season) | 2017 | |
| Alex Erro | Lowell Spinners | Boston Red Sox (A Short-Season) | 2018 | |
| Mitch Ragan | Brooklyn Cyclones | New York Mets (A Short-Season) | 2018 | |
| Brandon Wulff | Ogden Raptors | Los Angeles Dodgers (rookie) | 2017 | |
| Jacob Kostyshock | Grand Junction Rockies | Colorado Rockies (rookie) | 2017-18 | |
| Jacob Voss | Orem Owlz | Los Angeles Angels (rookie) | 2018 | |
| Chris Cornelius | Gulf Coast League Phillies West | Philadelphia Phillies (rookie) | 2017 | |
| Zac Taylor | Arizona League Cubs 1 | Chicago Cubs (rookie) | 2018 | |
| Cole Zabowski | Gulf Coast League Tigers West | Detroit Tigers (rookie) | 2018 | |
| Zach Bryant | Arizona League Cubs 2 | Chicago Cubs (rookie) | 2017-18 | |
| Ryan Loutos | Memphis Redbirds | St. Louis Cardinals (rookie) | 2020-21 | |
| Tim Elko | Birmingham Barons | Chicago White Sox (AA) | 2020-21 |
| Season | Manager | Overall record | Split Season Records | playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Zac Charbonneau | 38-34 (.528) | 1st Half: 16-20 (.444)2nd Half: 22-14 (.611) | Did not make playoffs | |
| 2018 | Zac Charbonneau | 39-31 (.557) | 1st Half: 21-13 (.618)2nd Half: 18-18 (.500) | Defeated Madison 15-7Defeated Kalamazoo 3-1 Defeated Duluth 3–0, 1–8, 4-3 Northwoods League Champions | |
| 2019 | Zac Charbonneau | 36-35 (.507) | 1st Half: 14-22 (.388)2nd Half: 22-13 (.628) | Did not make playoffs | |
| 2020 | Zac Charbonneau | 31-17 (.645) | COVID-19 Season | Defeated Green Bay 9-4 Defeated La Crosse 14-3 Northwoods League WI-IL Pod Champions | |
| Total | 4 seasons | 144-117 (.551) | 1st Half: 51-55 (.481)2nd Half: 62-45 (.579) | Total playoffs: 6 games won, 1 game lostTotal Series: 5 series won, 0 series lost 2 Championships |