Northwoods League first-half division race heats up for Battle Jacks
The Battle Creek Battle Jacks were in first place much of the first half of this season. In recent days, the new Northwoods League team has slipped back, but is still in the division race as the franchise hits the season's halfway mark.
Heading into the final weekend of the first half, the Battle Jacks sit in second place in the Great Lakes East Division of the Northwoods League.
Prior to Thursday's games, Battle Creek was 15-16 and four games behind first-place Kalamazoo with the first half ending on July 4.
"We were in first place for a long time so far this year, we had a good first half," said Battle Jacks manager Caleb Lang. "Now a bunch of teams are jumbled up in the division at the top and we have all taken our turns going on winning streaks and losing streaks.
"It's been a lot of fun. When games mean a lot in the standings each night, that's great for the mentality of the team."
The team with the best record in the division in the first half gets a spot in the postseason. With only five games left in the first half, the Battle Jacks may fall short of that goal. However, there will still be a playoff spot up for grabs in the second half of the season, which ends Aug. 13.
"Even a few games back, we are trying to get on a little bit of a run to end the first half. If that carries us to first place, great. If not, we can carry that momentum into the second half," Lang said.
Rivalry heats up
A big reason for the Battle Jacks falling in the standings has been their play against their rivals from Kalamazoo. Each season, the team with the best record between the two franchises gains the I94 Cup. This year, Battle Creek has only beaten Kalamazoo twice in eight tries after splitting a doubleheader last Sunday.
That has also helped the Growlers, who started slow, to go from last to first in the past few weeks. They are 19-12 currently, winning seven of their last 10.
"I don't think anyone is happy at all about how we have played against Kalamazoo," Lang said. "They have had our number a little bit. Hopefully, we can change that going forward. Nobody is happy Kalamazoo is in first place and we are not."
Getting offensive
The Battle Jacks' Patrick Mills, from Indiana University-Kokomo, is among the league's top hitters. Mills has a league-leading 27 RBI for Battle Creek and is in the top 10 in the Northwoods League in hitting at .360.
Battle Creek is also getting some good pitching from Keegan Batka of Kellogg Community College. Batka is tied for the most wins on the team at 3-1 and has a sparkling 1.57 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 23 innings.
Upcoming games
Battle Creek will host a weekend series against Rockford on Friday-Saturday. From there, the Battle Jacks finish the first half with two games on the road at Kokomo before an off day on July 5.
The second half begins July 6 with two homes games before the longest road trip of the summer for the Battle Jacks, not returning until July 14.
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Northwoods League first-half division race heats up for Battle Jacks
