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BATTLE CREEK - According to the front office, the 2026 Battle Creek Battle Jacks season was a success.
Nobody is forgetting a win-loss record that wasn't what they wanted. But, that is only one part of the story of the summer for the Battle Jacks, says team owner Scott Miles.
"I think we were happy with the atmosphere, the fact that we improved that fan experience throughout the year," Miles said. "Had a slow start that first night, but showed improvement all season and our staff worked incredibly hard every day to make that happen."
The Battle Creek Battle Jacks wrapped up the 2026 Northwoods League season on Saturday on the road at Traverse City. On the field, the Jacks finished 10-26 in the second half and 22-49 overall.
MORE:Brutus 'The Bat Dog' retires from the Battle Jacks
"The results on the field weren't what we wanted. But I'm happy with the season, even though it didn't show up in the standings," Miles said. "Looking at the numbers, our attendance numbers were at a record highs this year. We are up 10 percent in ticket sales. That came from some of the pregame ceremonies, theme nights. And, the most exciting part, is that fans kept coming back throughout the year.
"Now we want to pair that fan experience with a winning team on the field."
That will be the job of field manager Chris Fletcher, who just finished his first season with the team.
"Our season, in terms of winning and losing, it speaks for itself," Fletcher said. "But there were so many positives that went on throughout the season with the players growing in skill development, guys that stayed with us the whole summer. Our guys competed hard. Got the guys to buy in day in and day out, which was a positive. We just fell short on the field too often."
The numbers show the Battle Jacks had one of the best offenses in the Northwoods League. The pitching staff, however, didn't back that up.
Battle Creek Battle Jacks featured shortstop Brendan Thompson and second baseman Jake Stedman, with both being selected to represent the organization at the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game. Thompson finished with a .271 batting average over 67 games with 72 hits, 52 runs and 45 RBIs, including 10 home runs. Stedman hit .265 over 62 games with 65 hits and 37 RBIs. Playing a partial schedule, Marcus Dierks led the team with a .314 batting average over 26 games with Christian Lopez also hitting over .300 at .311 in 20 games.
Going forward, Fletcher plans to build on those positives on offense and work on what they can improve on in the pitching staff.
"Our offense was as good as anyone in the league, we could really score runs," Fletcher said. "If we are able to return a fraction of our offense, and I think we will, we will be good. It's no secret our pitching was our kryptonite this year. We need to restructure the pitching going forward.
"But, the biggest positive, is that guys enjoyed there time in Battle Creek and want to return and that will help us get the train going in right direction. Despite the wins and losses, we want to look at what we did right as an organization and build on that."
Miles also liked what he saw from Fletcher's approach with the team.
"The biggest thing we wanted to do was change the culture, create some consistency on and off the field," Miles said. "I'm happy to share that we are in the final stages of a deal with Coach Fletcher for next year. He will be back. He is one of the best communicators I have ever seen. The culture he built, it's his culture, it's his dugout and we want that culture here for a long period of time.
"You can see it on the field. Even though we had a poor record, you can see the players fight for him every inning and I don't think that's happened in the past. I'm happy with the results he has gotten in year one, even though it didn't show up in the standings."
Miles took over ownership of the Battle Jacks just weeks before the 2025 summer season. He sees 2026 as his first chance to make an impact on the franchise. With that experience behind him, he is already talking about getting ready for 2027 campaign.
"This year was a year of stabilizing on the field and in the front office and I think we had a turnaround in that. I think it's been an upgrade across the board this year from when I came in," Miles said. "I'm excited about the future."
Contact Bill Broderick at [email protected]. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Jacks look at the positives, negatives as they wrap up 2026 season
Continue reading...
Nobody is forgetting a win-loss record that wasn't what they wanted. But, that is only one part of the story of the summer for the Battle Jacks, says team owner Scott Miles.
"I think we were happy with the atmosphere, the fact that we improved that fan experience throughout the year," Miles said. "Had a slow start that first night, but showed improvement all season and our staff worked incredibly hard every day to make that happen."
The Battle Creek Battle Jacks wrapped up the 2026 Northwoods League season on Saturday on the road at Traverse City. On the field, the Jacks finished 10-26 in the second half and 22-49 overall.
MORE:Brutus 'The Bat Dog' retires from the Battle Jacks
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"The results on the field weren't what we wanted. But I'm happy with the season, even though it didn't show up in the standings," Miles said. "Looking at the numbers, our attendance numbers were at a record highs this year. We are up 10 percent in ticket sales. That came from some of the pregame ceremonies, theme nights. And, the most exciting part, is that fans kept coming back throughout the year.
"Now we want to pair that fan experience with a winning team on the field."
That will be the job of field manager Chris Fletcher, who just finished his first season with the team.
"Our season, in terms of winning and losing, it speaks for itself," Fletcher said. "But there were so many positives that went on throughout the season with the players growing in skill development, guys that stayed with us the whole summer. Our guys competed hard. Got the guys to buy in day in and day out, which was a positive. We just fell short on the field too often."
The numbers show the Battle Jacks had one of the best offenses in the Northwoods League. The pitching staff, however, didn't back that up.
Battle Creek Battle Jacks featured shortstop Brendan Thompson and second baseman Jake Stedman, with both being selected to represent the organization at the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game. Thompson finished with a .271 batting average over 67 games with 72 hits, 52 runs and 45 RBIs, including 10 home runs. Stedman hit .265 over 62 games with 65 hits and 37 RBIs. Playing a partial schedule, Marcus Dierks led the team with a .314 batting average over 26 games with Christian Lopez also hitting over .300 at .311 in 20 games.
Going forward, Fletcher plans to build on those positives on offense and work on what they can improve on in the pitching staff.
"Our offense was as good as anyone in the league, we could really score runs," Fletcher said. "If we are able to return a fraction of our offense, and I think we will, we will be good. It's no secret our pitching was our kryptonite this year. We need to restructure the pitching going forward.
"But, the biggest positive, is that guys enjoyed there time in Battle Creek and want to return and that will help us get the train going in right direction. Despite the wins and losses, we want to look at what we did right as an organization and build on that."
Miles also liked what he saw from Fletcher's approach with the team.
"The biggest thing we wanted to do was change the culture, create some consistency on and off the field," Miles said. "I'm happy to share that we are in the final stages of a deal with Coach Fletcher for next year. He will be back. He is one of the best communicators I have ever seen. The culture he built, it's his culture, it's his dugout and we want that culture here for a long period of time.
"You can see it on the field. Even though we had a poor record, you can see the players fight for him every inning and I don't think that's happened in the past. I'm happy with the results he has gotten in year one, even though it didn't show up in the standings."
Miles took over ownership of the Battle Jacks just weeks before the 2025 summer season. He sees 2026 as his first chance to make an impact on the franchise. With that experience behind him, he is already talking about getting ready for 2027 campaign.
"This year was a year of stabilizing on the field and in the front office and I think we had a turnaround in that. I think it's been an upgrade across the board this year from when I came in," Miles said. "I'm excited about the future."
Contact Bill Broderick at [email protected]. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Jacks look at the positives, negatives as they wrap up 2026 season
Continue reading...
