The Royal Oak Leprechauns are a summer collegiate baseball team in the Northwoods League. They are based in Royal Oak, Michigan, and play their home games at Memorial Park.
History Founded in 2015, the team began playing in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) in 2016 as the Irish Hills Leprechauns, based in Adrian, Michigan. They remained in Adrian through the 2018 season and went on hiatus during the 2019 season.
In 2020, MLB All-Star and Gold Glove winning infielder D.J. LeMahieu began supporting the Leprechauns as a primary donor, funding numerous renovations to Memorial Park in Royal Oak. The relocated Leprechauns resumed play in the GLSCL in 2021, changing their name to the Royal Oak Leprechauns. LeMahieu later transitioned to the role of team President and eventually Field Manager.
In October 2023, it was announced that the Leprechauns would be leaving the GLSCL and joining the Northwoods League (NWL), another summer collegiate league, for the 2024 season.
In 2026, the Leprechauns had a standout season in the NWL. Managed by D.J. LeMahieu, they finished the regular season with a 43-27 record and clinched a playoff berth with the best second half record in the Great Lakes East division. In the sub-division championship series, they swept the Kenosha Kingfish before defeating the Madison Mallards for the Great Lakes division championship. They faced the St. Cloud Rox in a winner-take-all NWL championship game on 8/13/26. Both teams were held scoreless through six innings, with Jack Sequin on the mound for the Leps. The Rox scored one run in the 7th, and the Leprechauns got on the board in the 8th with a 2-RBI single by Luke Kosko. The Leprechauns defeated the Rox by a score of 3-1.
2026 was also a successful individual season for several Leprechaun players. Three Leps (Luke Kosko, Oliver Service, Kellen English) were selected to represent the Great Lakes Division in the NWL All-Star game, held at Field of Dreams Ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa. Upon completion of the regular season, outfielder Luke Kosko led all NWL players in both home runs (17) and RBI (72). Pitcher Spencer Boynton led all NWL pitchers in total strikeouts with 76. Kosko was named 2026 Northwoods League Most Valuable Player. Additionally, infielder Mason Barth, Boynton, and Kosko were all named to the NWL full-season All-Star team which was announced after the season.
Season-by-season results Season Wins Losses Pct Playoffs Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League 2016 22 20 .524 Did not qualify 2017 16 26 .381 Did not qualify 2018 19 22 .463 Did not qualify 2021 23 19 .548 Did not qualify 2022 17 21 .447 Did not qualify 2023 17 21 .447 Did not qualify Northwoods League 2024 34 38 .472 Did not qualify 2025 35 37 .486 Did not qualify 2026 43 29 .597 Subdivision Championship: Beat the Kenosha Kingfish 2 games to 0.Division Championship: Beat the Madison Mallards 6-1League Championship: Beat the St. Cloud Rox 3-1
Yearly Attendance Year Attendance 2024 26,206 2025 30,367 2026 19,692
Northwoods League All-Stars The following players have been selected to either the Northwoods League mid-season All-Star Game and/or the full-season All-Star Team.
Player Position College Year Mid-season or full-season Parker Picot OF Alabama 2024 Mid-season Jake Jekielek P Northwood 2024 Mid-season Alejandro Espinoza P Central Michigan 2024 Mid-season Ryan Tyranski 1B Cincinnati 2025 Both Oliver Service C Marshall 2026 Both Luke Kosko OF Cincinnati 2026 Both Kellen English P Indiana 2026 Mid-season Spencer Boynton P Valparaiso 2026 Full-season Mason Barth 3B Notre Dame 2026 Full-season
Leprechauns in professional baseball The following former Leprechauns have signed with Major League Baseball organizations:
Name Season(s) with Leps NWL or GLSCL MLB signing team Jake Hoover 2016 GLSCL Texas Rangers Griffin Lockwood-Powell 2017 GLSCL Los Angeles Dodgers Sam Benschoter 2018 GLSCL Cincinnati Reds Pierce Banks 2018 GLSCL Minnesota Twins Derek Clark 2021 GLSCL Los Angeles Angels Trent Farquhar 2021 GLSCL Philadelphia Phillies Zach MacDonald 2021 GLSCL Detroit Tigers Griffin Kilander 2022/2024 Both Boston Red Sox Brayden Dowd 2023-2024 Both Arizona Diamondbacks Jake Jekielek 2024 NWL Texas Rangers Aidan Cremarosa 2024 NWL Tampa Bay Rays Jake Shelagowski 2025 NWL St. Louis Cardinals
References
External links Royal Oak Leprechauns official site Northwoods League official site