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Beetles Welcome Whitfield as Hitting Coach

The Alexandria Beetles welcome Coach Brandon Whitfield as the teams hitting coach.

After a 5 year playing career as a second baseman at Seton Hill University located in Greensburg, PA; Whitfield is in his second season as Seton Hills hitting and infield coach. 

As a player for the Griffins, who are a part of the American Mideast Conference (NAIA) Whitfield was selected to the first team All Conference team in 2005 and 2006, was named first team All Region and second team NAIA All American in 2006. Whitfield coached Seton Hill's infield to a division II best in double plays turned per game in the 2009 season.

After coaching last summer for the Sherrill Silversmiths, who are in the Eastern Collegiate Baseball League, Whitfield is excited about the opportunity to join Head Coach Scott Chisholm's staff.

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to further my coaching career with a great team in a great league," said Whitfield.  "I hope that my knowledge of the game will help the Beetles compete for a championship in 2010."

The Northwoods League plays more games than, draws more fans than, and plays in venues superior to any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.

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2010 Schedule Released

The Alexandria Beetles 2010 schedule is now up! The 2010 season marks Alexandria's 10th season as a part of the Northwoods League. 

2010 will be slightly different from years past. With two new teams in the league (Willmar and Wisconsin Rapids) the Beetles and every other team in the North Division will only play other teams in the North Division and the teams in the South will only play other teams in the South.  Each team will also now play 70 games as compared to the usual 68. Beetles open up the season at home against Brainerd on June 2 at 6:05.  See you at the Park!

Alexandria Beetles to Host Press Conference

The Alexandria Beetles will be hosting a press conference on Wednesday, January 20^th to release the 2010 schedule.

With new teams joining the Northwoods League this year in Willmar and Wisconsin Rapids, there will be some changes in scheduling this year as compared to years past.  The schedule jumped from 68 games to 70 games, and teams will only play other teams from their divisions (North vs. North / South vs. South) until the League Championship.

The 2010 season marks the 10^th Anniversary for the Alexandria Beetles Organization, who joined the Northwoods Leauge in 2001.  The Beetles always have a ton of fun and exciting events going on outside of the actually baseball game and this year is no different. In honor of the 10^th Anniversary the Beetles will be giving away a 2001 Volkswagen Beetle, they will be having a medallion hunt worth $1,000, and there will be a reunion weekend, giving past players, coaches, and interns a chance to come back to Alexandria. Other topics of discussion at the press conference will include: New Ownership, information on the 10^th season celebration, and charitable giving.

"We are extremely pleased that our City has been home to a quality baseball team like the Beetles," said Mayor Dan Ness. "We wish to express our appreciation to the many people who have supported them in so many different ways these past nine years.  We are fortunate to have a large and enthusiastic base of supportive fans like you and me.  Alexandria has been a great amateur baseball town for many years.  Our youth programs have been excellent! We hope the Beetles will continue to stimulate new interest, and rekindle the past interest, for good baseball watching with excellent players and fun activities to entertain all ages."

The Press Conference will begin at noon on Wednesday at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria. A free lunch will be provided.

Familiar Face to Lead Beetles in 2010

Chisholm named Field Manager 

The Alexandria Beetles are proud to announce that Scott Chisholm will be the club's field manager for the 2010 season.

"I am truly honored and flattered to have the opportunity to become the head coach in such a wonderful organization like Alexandria," said Chisholm.  "My experience in the Northwoods League in 2009 was tremendous and I can only hope to add to the class and professionalism of the Beetles organization.  To say I am excited about the opportunity to coach these fine young baseball players would be an understatement."

The Pittsburgh native is in his second year as an assistant coach at Oakland City University. After a successful 4-year pitching career at Duquesne, Chisholm went on to become the pitching coach at Seton Hall University where he led his staff to some of the best numbers in school history. In the summer of 2009, Chisholm was an assistant coach for the Beetles and his knowledge of the game, work ethic and overall approach to the game impressed Beetles General Manager Shawn Reilly.

"We are very excited to have Scott Chisholm as the next Beetles Head Coach," Reilly said. "Scott was an integral part of our coaching staff in 2009 and exhibited a very mature approach to developing the skills of the college level players that we hosted in Alexandria last summer. He is one of the most organized and respectful coaches I have had the pleasure of working with as the General Manager of the Alexandria Beetles Baseball organization these past four years."

The Beetles went 38-30 in 2009, finishing just four games out of first place in the North Division. The 2010 season will mark the Beetles 10^th season as a member of the Northwoods League.

"The Northwoods League is filled with such wonderful talent and coaches, making it hard to give specific predictions on the baseball field," said Chisholm.  "However, I can assure the Beetles organization that the 26 men which compile the 2010 roster will be ready to compete at a high level.  Each player that I have welcomed into the Alexandria Beetles family has a passion for playing baseball and a dedication towards a common goal.  My guys will hustle, play with passion and energy, be great teammates, and represent the organization with class."

The Northwoods League plays more games than, draws more fans than, and plays in venues superior to any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.

Beetles' Langfels Finest in the Field

October 13

The Northwoods League has announced the recipients of the 2009 Rawlings Finest in the Field Award. The annual award recognizes the top fielders at each position and the Alexandria Beetles once again found one of their very own on the list.

              Third Baseman Jayson Langfels (Eastern Kentucky) was a wall for the Beetles at the "hot corner".  He played in 60 of the 68 games with the Beetles and had a fielding average of .961. 

              ""Jayson Langfels is not only the best defensive third baseman I have ever seen, but the best defensive player at any position," said Field Manager Scott Chisholm.  "Jayson did not become an elite defender overnight; his excellence has been developed due to his tireless work ethic."

              Langfels, not only brought his glove to the ballpark every day, he also carried his bat along.  Langfels led the team in triples with 4; hit 7 doubles, 3 homeruns and 24 RBI for the Beetles in the 2009 season. He will return to the Beetles next season and the organization couldn't be happier. 

              "When we bring in players each year we look for not only great athletes, but we also want to bring in a group a guys that will represent the Beetles organization and the city of Alexandria," said Assistant General Manager Alex Walker. "Jayson is exactly the type of guy we want and we look forward to having him back for a second year."

              To qualify for an award a player needs to appear in at least two-thirds (46) of the scheduled games at a given position, with the exception of catcher which is one-half (34) of the scheduled games. For pitchers, the individual that had the most total defensive chances without committing an error earns the number one ranking. For a complete list of the 2009 Rawlings Finest in the Field Award winners go to northwoodsleague.com. 

              The Northwoods League plays more games than, draws more fans than, and plays in venues superior to any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. The Northwoods League recently completed its 16th season of play.

2 Beetles Among Northwoods League's Best

Sept 17, 2009

 Matt Miller and Erik Johnson, both enjoyed successful summers in Alexandria and they were recently recognized for it by ranking 5^th (Miller) and 6^th (Johnson) respectively by "Baseball America's" top Northwoods League (NWL) prospects.

Miller, a 6-6 right hander out of the University of Michigan was picked the 5^th leading prospect by "Baseball America".  The Beetles Closer finished the season 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA and ten saves, recording 44 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. 

Another Beetle that excelled in the NWL was Johnson, who was the 6^th leading prospect. The 6-3, 220- pounder goes back to the University of California-Berkeley after going 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA, and 49 strikeouts in 59.0 innings as a starter for the Beetles.

The list was topped by Rob Brantly of the LaCrosse Loggers.  Brantly, a catcher from the University of California-Riverside won the NWL batting title by hitting .346 and leading the Loggers to a South Division Championship.

For the entire list of the NWL's top ten prospects and scouting reports on each player you can visit baseballamerica.com.

Top Ten Plays Now Available!

Relive the best moments of the 2009 season by clicking on the "Top Ten Plays of 2009."

Beetles Record Book Updated!

Check out the Beetles record book, now updated through the 2009 season.  Multiple-year Beetle career stats are also available.