They say the greatest game ever played was on a Wednesday night in Cleveland, and that applies to the South Bend Cubs, too. Just like the 2016 Chicago Cubs, South Bend captured its most recent championship on a Wednesday in northeast Ohio, and this week, the Cubs return to the scene of their 2022 Midwest League title. It's the Cubs and the Lake County Captains, the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, from Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake, Ohio.
The Cubs haven't visited Lake County since August 2023, hosting the Captains in each of the last two seasons. Last year, at the season's midway point, the Captains took four of six games at Four Winds Field. That series featured the Cubs' only walk-off hit of 2025, a 10th-inning single from Drew Bowser. The Cubs haven't taken a regular-season series from Lake County since 2019; they needed to win in Eastlake on back-to-back nights to claim the Midwest League title in 2022.
South Bend enters the road trip playing great baseball. After a 7-2 homestand, the Cubs are 56-36 overall, maintaining the best full-season record in the Midwest League. They've also taken over second place in the West Division's second-half standings, going 17-13 in the second half to sit 3.0 games behind the Beloit Sky Carp. This past week, the Cubs won five of six games against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, notching their first walk-off win of 2026 in the 11th inning on Friday night.
A consistent contender in the Midwest League, Lake County is set up to push for its fifth postseason berth in the last seven seasons. The Captains, who haven't finished a season below .500 since 2018, have the second-best overall record in the East Division at 52-40 and the East's top run differential (+106). At 15-13 in the second half, they're chasing the Great Lakes Loons in the East, currently 2.5 games back. Lake County comes off a 4-2 series loss in Fort Wayne against the TinCaps.
By total runs scored, Lake County and South Bend match up this week as the top two scoring offenses in the Midwest League.
Players to watch on South Bend…
Pierce Coppola, LHP: After making his High-A debut on the road before the All-Star break, the 6-foot-8 left-hander introduced himself to the home crowd in style throughout the recent nine-game homestand. In his Four Winds Field debut two Sundays ago, Coppola helped South Bend to a shutout victory against Peoria with 3.0 scoreless innings. The former Florida Gator followed with 5.0 shutout frames in his first home start this past Sunday against Wisconsin. With 65 strikeouts in 51.0 innings for the full season between Myrtle Beach and South Bend, the No. 29 Cubs prospect is scheduled to take the ball again this coming Sunday against the Captains.
Josiah Hartshorn, 1B/OF: Hartshorn made his South Bend debut on May 26 as MLB Pipeline's No. 8 prospect in the Cubs' system. He's now the top Cubs prospect, supplementing his status as one of Baseball America's top 30 prospects in the sport. While Hartshorn's offensive pace has slowed since he hit eight home runs in three weeks at the end of the first half, a .798 OPS in July can hardly be called a cooldown. He played a key role in last week's series win against Wisconsin, going 7-for-16 with two doubles, a home run, and 7 RBI across the final four matchups with the Timber Rattlers.
Justin Stransky, C: Stransky delivered one of the most epic individual performances of the season -- not so much for his stat line, but for his grit. The catcher used his football background to great benefit before delivering a walk-off single in the 11th inning. In the sixth, he scored from second on an infield single, using a hurdle to avoid the opposing catcher's tag at home plate. Later in the game, he took a cleat to the right cheek while tagging a runner out at the dish, leaving him with a noticeable mark just beneath the eye. Stransky didn't just help the Cubs on Friday; he's done it for multiple weeks during his active six-game hit streak, homering on Sunday afternoon for his third consecutive multi-hit effort.
Schedule and Probables…
Tuesday, July 28 - 7:00 PM ET: RHP Mason McGwire vs. TBA
Wednesday, July 29 - 12:05 PM ET: RHP Jostin Florentino vs. TBA
Thursday, July 30 - 7:00 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs. TBA
Friday, July 31 - 7:00 PM ET: RHP Kohl Franklin vs. TBA
Saturday, August 1 - 7:00 PM ET: RHP Alfredo Romero vs. TBA
Sunday, August 2 - 1:00 PM ET: LHP Pierce Coppola vs. TBA
Catch the entire six-game series in Eastlake on 96.1 FM and 960 AM Sports Radio WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Tyler Reidy on the call.