Hall of Fame for Scholten(‘s Cap), More Hometown Heroes: Ten Things to Know in the American Association This Week

The American Association of Professional Baseball (@AA_Baseball) season enters the playoff push with pennant races staying tight as the teams play their final 25 games or so of the regular season. All AAPB games are available for free live viewing at aabaseball.tv.

Here are 10 (or so) Things to Know about the AAPB this week:

• J.D. Scholten (Sioux City, Iowa) has been the talk of the baseball world over the past month, and now the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has taken notice. Scholten has agreed to donate the Sioux City Explorers cap he wore in his historic first start on July 6 vs. Milwaukee. Scholten is now 4-1 for the X’s after six starts.
• Of course, Scholten couldn’t use the cap anymore anyway, as it was one of the casualties of a bus fire that made the X’s national and even international news. Happily, no one was injured and equipment loss was moderate, when the team charter caught fire last Friday on its way to a game at Kane County.
• Sioux City Explorers infielder John Nogowski (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Kane County Cougars starter Greg Mahle (Glendale, Ariz.) won the AAPB’s Rawlings batter and pitcher of the month for July. Nogowski hit a blistering .446 with seven doubles, four home runs and 15 RBI in 24 games, while Mahle made five starts in the month, going a perfect 5-0.
• Pitching is in the Mahle blood, as Greg and his brother Tyler both took to the mound for their respective teams on Tuesday, both pitching well in losing causes. Tyler made his Texas Rangers debut, allowing just one run over five innings vs. Houston. Meanwhile, Greg was making his 10th start of the season for Kane County, suffering his first defeat (8-1) despite allowing just three hits and fanning seven in seven innings of three-run ball vs. the Milwaukee Milkmen.
• The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks’ Sam Dexter earned some notice back home in Maine, where the Oakland native and University of Southern Maine graduate was featured in the Portland Press Herald, giving insight into life as a professional baseball player from the Pine Tree State.
• Fargo-Moorhead exemplifies the AAPB fan experience at Newman Outdoor Field, and on-field entertainment is a big part of the fun. It became a family affair when the RedHawks signed infielder and local product Michael Hallquist, whose father Matt plays the role of “Rowdy” at RedHawks home games. An avid mountain biker, Matt rides his bike on the field as part of the act, and cheered even louder when Michael hit his first pro home run against Sioux Falls on Friday.
• The AAPB Alumni club doesn’t just include players, executives, and broadcasters. Internships with league teams are valuable gateways into the business world, with the latest case in point being Alyssa Brooks, named sports reporter at the Hometown News Group in Wisconsin after a stint working in the media department with the Lake Country DockHounds.
• Lake Country had another graduate of sorts, as Jon Duplantier (Katy, Texas) has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, becoming the fourth DockHound to sign with an MLB org this season. Duplantier’s stint with the DockHounds was a scant four games, but he was a force, permitting just six hits and no earned runs, striking out an incredible 30 in 18 innings. He previously pitched in parts of two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks and began the 2024 season with the Syracuse Mets in the International League.
• AAPB secured another key partner as HotelPlanner this week became the Official Hotel Booking Partner of the league. The leading travel technology platform and hotel booking engine will help members and fans book hotels at lower rates using the link at http://aapb.hotelplanner.com.
• KC Parent recommended families make a visit to Legends Field in Kansas City for a Monarchs game as part of its “Soak up the Last days of Summer” feature last week. The publication cited the baseball-themed playground for kids, upcoming Disney night and accessibility as major family-friendly attractions.
• Another local kid makes good story unfolds in Kane County, where St. Charles North (Ill.) HS graduate Westin Muir has been a mainstay in the Cougars’ rotation, tying for the team high with 15 starts for his hometown team. The former Academic All-American at Wisconsin-Whitewater was featured this week in the Daily Herald, which noted his area ties and propensity for taking the ball every five days for a team-best 80 1/3 innings.
• Some fun theme nights coming up:
  • Friday, Area 51 Night, Sioux Falls (as the “Minnehaha Martians!”)
  • Saturday, Teacher Appreciation Night, Sioux City
  • Sunday, Zoorasic Night, Cleburne
  • Sunday, Legends Night, Kansas City
  • Tuesday, DUI Enforcement All-Stars Night, Fargo-Moorhead
  • Wednesday, All Abilities Night, Sioux City