Back of three hits from NWL veteran Dan Betteridge (Rutgers) the St. Cloud River Bats pulled percentage points ahead of the eventual NWL Champion Rochester Honkers in the north division with a 4-3 win on July 18 against Thunder Bay. Another victory against the Border Cats the following day secured a series sweep for the Bats and sent Central Minnesota's team into the all-star break in first place.

Those two wins came during a season-best five-game winning streak. It was a stretch of play that did not resemble the River Bats team that closed out the first half losers of three consecutive games against that very Border Cats team that jumped out to a 6-25 first-half start and came within a game of setting a league record for most losses in a single half.

The 2009 St. Cloud River Bats did justice to the two-half system in the Northwoods League. Much of what went wrong in the first-half ceased to be a problem in half No. 2 as the Bats, eight games under .500 in the first half (13-21), finished four games over .500 (19-15) and remained in playoff contention into the final week of the season.

In the first 34 games, St. Cloud lost nine one-run ballgames and played in just four contests that were decided by less than four runs. Even more, the Bats suffered seven walk-off losses in the half, including three straight from May 31 to June 2. The Bats reversed their fortune in that department in the final 34, winning 10 one-run games. St. Cloud did not post a walk-off loss, but instead amassed five walk-off wins, including three during a wild week from July 24-30. The first of which saw the Bats overcome a 6-0 Brainerd advantage and then an 8-5 ninth-inning deficit en route to a thrilling 9-8 triumph. This preceded back-to-back walk-off win on July 29-30 at home against Terry Collins' Duluth Huskies.

Although the team's consistency fluctuated over the course of 68 games, several Bats epitomized consistency on many levels, including the 2009 Most Valuable Bat, Jonathan Roof. The steady middle infielder posted an 0-for-3 in his debut on May 30 before registering three hits his next day, a game that would be the first of many productive evenings at the plate for the Michigan State sophomore. Roof posted a team-best .332 average, ranking him fifth in the league hitting and garnering post-season all-star accolades.

First-year manager Marcus Clapp was handed a versatile pitching staff and some of the varying roles paid big dividends early. Third-year Bat Kurtis Frymier (Michigan State) began the season in the bullpen, which is where he tossed almost exclusively during the 2008 season when the right-hander led the league in appearances. His first nine appearances came out of the bullpen, before tossing a no-hitter against La Crosse on June 17 at Joe Faber Field. The no-hitter was the tenth in NWL history and one of four that were thrown during the summer.

Like most Northwoods League teams, the Bats dealt with significant player movement during the season. Prized arms like Stephen Ames (Gonzaga) and Jordan Pries (Stanford) never made it out to Minnesota, while right-hander Dan Straily (Marshall) left after three starts to pursue a professional career after being drafted in the 24th round by the Oakland Athletics. Slugger Nick Longmire (Pacific), who led the team in home runs (4), departed after the all-star break to take care of summer classes. Longmire was the team's biggest offensive threat in the first half, his departure left the team searching for answers offensively.

Freshman-to-be Tony Renda (California) boosted his batting average (.283) in second half and finished second on the team in doubles (11). Renda spent significant time in the cleanup spot for Clapp and recorded the second most RBIs (24). His college teammate, Danny Oh, found his niche in the three-hole, where he made a habit of manufacturing runs home. On several occasions the freshman outfielder bunted runners in from third base. His .387 on base percentage made him a valuable commodity in the middle of the order and kept the offense afloat in the second half. And Matt Summers, when he wasn't showing off his mid-90s fastball, proved to be a good lefty bat in predominately right-handed order.

Junior Matt Fanelli finished his third season in St. Cloud on a high note, hitting .500 (20-for-40) in his last 10 games, while elevating his batting average to an impressive .329 on the season.

While the season did not result in a fourth NWL Championship (or a tenth playoff appearance), it was chock-full of exciting moments at the park. The team reached the 30-win plateau (32-36) for a 13th consecutive season.

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