The St. Croix River Hounds (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) are set for a 2021 launch, as construction on the team’s Hudson, WI ballpark will begin next spring.
Planning has unfolded over the last several years for the River Hounds, who are slated to join the Northwoods League as expansion team and play at a new ballpark that is designed as the anchor of a larger redevelopment of the former St. Croix Meadows Dog Track site. Initially, the team was expected to launch in 2019 to coincide with the completion of the new ballpark, but announced last October that delays to development of the site had resulted in its inaugural season being pushed back.
At the time, it appeared that the River Hounds were targeting a 2020 launch, but an announcement on Friday revealed that the team will begin play in 2021. Construction of the new ballpark is set to begin next spring and be completed by the start of the 2021 campaign, according to that announcement.
“The stadium build is also moving forward with construction set for the spring of 2020 which will allow the St. Croix River Hounds to play their inaugural season in the summer of 2021,” River Hounds Owner/CEO Klint Klaas said in a press statement.
“The Northwoods League is very pleased by the announcement today from the St. Croix River Hounds regarding the progress of construction of the new baseball stadium at the St. Croix Meadows development in Hudson, Wisconsin,” Northwoods League President Gary Hoover said in a press statement. “As stated in the announcement, construction is set to be completed in time for the River Hounds’ inaugural season in 2021, and momentum for the development overall is building given that it is attracting additional tenants as well.”
RELATED STORIES: St. Croix River Hounds Launch Delayed; River Hounds Ballpark Project Lands State Grant; New for 2019: St. Croix River Hounds; Hudson Planning for Northwoods League Team; Northwoods League Ballpark Pitched in Hudson