The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League (a collegiate summer baseball league). Based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Dock Spiders play their home games at Herr-Baker Field on the campus of Marian University.
History On 15 August 2016, it was announced that the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Class A Midwest League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) had partnered with Marian University to bring the 20th Northwoods League team to Fond du Lac. The on-campus Herr-Baker Field underwent renovations to accommodate the team.
A name-the-team contest was held, with the five finalists being Barn Owls, Dock Spiders, Lake Flies, Pipsqueaks and Shantymen. On November 21, the Dock Spiders name, logo and colors were officially announced. The team appeared in Sports Illustrated as the best attention-grabbing new baseball club name for 2017. The team logo was designed by San Diego marketing firm Brandiose.
In 2017, the team's inaugural season, the Dock Spiders went 38-34 (.528). After posting a 16–20 record in the first half, the Dock Spiders went 22–14 in the second half to finish 3 games out of 1st place. The overall record put the Dock Spiders in a tie for the final playoff spot in the South Division; however, the Dock Spiders missed on a 3-way tiebreaker with the Lakeshore Chinooks (who made the playoffs) and the Madison Mallards.
In 2018, the Dock Spiders compiled a 39–31 overall record (.557) to take the final playoff spot in the South Division, with split-half records of 21-13 and 18-18. In the playoffs, the Dock Spiders won road games over the Madison Mallards 17-5 and the Kalamazoo Growlers 3-1 to win the South Division title and advance to the championship series against the Duluth Huskies. Fond du Lac won the opening game of the best-of-3 series 3–0 at home, then lost at Duluth 8-1 before winning the deciding game 4-3 to clinch the team's first Northwoods League title in the franchise's second season of play. In 2019, the Dock Spiders went 36–35.
In 2020, the Northwoods League temporarily altered its structure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, operating with seven hyper-regional pod divisions. The Dock Spiders played in the Wisconsin-Illinois East Division alongside the Green Bay Booyah and Rockford Rivets. With a roster featuring several future MLB players, the Dock Spiders had a 31-17 record, best in the division. In the playoffs, they defeated the La Crosse Loggers 14–3 and claimed the Northwoods League Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Championship.
Following the 2020 season, team owners Appleton Baseball Club, Inc, sold the team to Third Base Ventures, LLC, a group consisting of principal owner Craig Dickman and minority owners team president Rob Zerjav and Brad Raaths.
In 2025, Milwaukee Brewers infielder and former Dock Spider Caleb Durbin returned to Fond du Lac for a promotional night while the Brewers had an off day. Durbin threw out the first pitch and signed autographs for fans. While in Fond du Lac, Durbin spent the night with his former host family.
MLB alumni Name MLB teams played for Years with Dock Spiders MLB Debut Nick Fortes Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays 2017 September 18, 2021 Victor Scott II St. Louis Cardinals 2020–2021 March 28, 2024 Ryan Loutos St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals 2020–2021 June 1, 2024 Caleb Durbin Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox 2020–2021 April 18, 2025 Chandler Simpson Tampa Bay Rays 2021 April 19, 2025 Ryan Bergert San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals 2020 April 26, 2025 Tim Elko Chicago White Sox 2019–2020 May 10, 2025 Ryan Ritter Colorado Rockies 2020 June 6, 2025
Year-by-year records Season Overall record Playoffs 2017 38-34 (.528) Did not make playoffs 2018 39-31 (.557) Defeated Madison Mallards
Defeated Kalamazoo Growlers
Defeated Duluth Huskies
Northwoods League Champions 2019 36-35 (.507) Did not make playoffs 2020 31-17 (.645) Defeated Green Bay Booyah
Defeated La Crosse Loggers
Northwoods League WI-IL Pod Champions 2021 43-28 () Lost to Madison Mallards 2022 36-35 () Did not make playoffs 2023 30-42 () Did not make playoffs 2024 29-40 () Did not make playoffs 2025 32-40 () Did not make playoffs 2026 30-39 () Did not make playoffs Total 344-341 () Total Playoff Series: 5 series won, 1 series lost
2 Championships
References
External links Fond du Lac Dock Spiders official site Northwoods League official site