With the South Bend Cubs within 2.5 games of first place in the Midwest League West Division, one of the biggest series so far in the first half has arrived. In the start of a two week long road trip, the first leg for the Cubs comes in Appleton, Wisconsin, as South Bend takes on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
As the early part of the season creeps towards the summer, it becomes clear who the contenders are in each division around this time. In the case of the West Division, every single team is still in play to make a run for first place. In the second leg of this 12-game road trip, South Bend will meet West Michigan, the defending Midwest League Champions, but they have lost 14 straight games. In the East, the circuit has taken shape with the Great Lakes Loons having quite the lead. But in the West, it’s anyone’s game.
And when that occurs, there are certain series that you circle on the schedule that stand out as half defining ball games. Just like August of 2025, when the Cubs traveled to Beloit to take on the Sky Carp. At that point, it was obvious that South Bend and Beloit were going to be the teams in contention for the second-half crown. The Cubs jumped into first place in that series, but we had known for weeks how big that six-game stretch would be. And we’ve known for a matter of weeks how big this series is upcoming at Wisconsin.
South Bend being 2.5 games back is more than enough wiggle room to go make some noise in Appleton. Of course, the only thing is, they need to be scoreboard watching. The Cubs are tied with Quad Cities for third in the division, because Cedar Rapids jolted ahead to just two games back with a win over QC on Sunday. Quad Cities takes on Lansing this week, who we just saw at Four Winds Field. Cedar Rapids will match up with with Fort Wayne.
Now that all of that is covered, this series has the potential to be a terrific one with the star power on both sides. The ‘Rattlers lead the Midwest League in home runs with 42, and are also batting a sparkling .257 as a team. Both offenses clearly can score, the Cubs and Timber Rattlers are second and third, respectively in the Midwest League in RBI. And Wisconsin has scored the second most total runs in the league.
From a pitching standpoint, pitching was a huge reason of why the Cubs responding from the Fort Wayne series loss to begin the last 12-game homestand, and why they played so well against Lansing in a series win. Cole Reynolds had a start of three perfect innings, Koen Moreno fired four shutout innings, new righty Eli Jerzembeck tossed three shutout frames in his Midwest League debut, and the list goes on. Wisconsin has not gotten the same type of work from their arms. They have the highest team ERA in the League at 6.26. But they have been able to make that work because they win a ton of high scoring games. If South Bend is going to have success this week, they need to throw the ball well. One of the League’s most potent offenses will come ready, but if South Bend is strong on the mound, odds are they will be able to get to the ‘Rattlers pitching staff.
Remember the final series of the 2025 season? And the 2025 season finale where Kenten Egbert nearly tossed a complete game shutout? Many of those same Timber Rattlers from that lineup are back in 2026, and they have led the way in many aspects, helping Wisconsin be one of the more dangerous lineups in all of High-A.
Schererville, Indiana native Josh Adamczewski is sizzling with a .299 average in 29 games. He also is right at the top of the MWL in home runs with seven. Former Brewers first round pick Andrew Fischer has also been terrific, batting .274 with a Midwest League pacing nine homers. Unfortunately though, top Milwaukee prospect Luis Pena still has not played for Wisconsin since a scary incident in Fort Wayne that involved a medical situation. He was batting .372 and had hits in 11 straight games played. Still, Wisconsin has rallied, and has some of the biggest star power that South Bend will see this season.
Players to watch on South Bend…
Ty Southisene, INF: He’s an on-base machine. Ty Southisene already has 10 RBI with the South Bend Cubs in just seven games played, and if you are an opposing pitcher right now, good luck going against what has been the Cubs top trio of the lineup lately. Kane Kepley, Ty Southisene, Cameron Sisneros. Each one of those guys works amazing at-bats, and they get under the pitcher’s skin with every delivery due to their ability to grind out a plate appearance. The arrival of Southisene gives South Bend an everyday shortstop that plays terrific defense, and it also allows Christian Olivo to move around the diamond more. With how Olivo is hitting, and after the Friday night outburst with two home runs, four hits, and six RBI, Olivo can once again play all over whether it is the infield or outfield. He was playing shortstop everyday after the injury to Angel Cepeda. But now that Southisene is here, South Bend has got him at short each day, and he has really impressed in his short time there. Amazing contact ability, a great clubhouse dude, and of course, the guy loves hot dogs. Check out the South Bend Cubs latest Tik Tok. It’s worth the watch. Expect Southisene to have a massive impact on the Wisconsin series, especially since the ‘Rattlers have struggled throwing the ball this year.
Justin Stransky, C: Since the promotion of Owen Ayers to Double-A Knoxville, the South Bend Cubs starting catcher job has been a platoon between Justin Stransky, Miguel Useche, and Dilan Granadillo. However, as of late, Stransky has played and caught primarily about four times per week. And he has taken advantage of the opportunity. Stransky leads the Midwest League in total baserunners caught-stealing with 11. Remember, Ayers had six in his first couple weeks as a Cub. And also keep in mind the generational run we continue to see from South Bend catchers. Ariel Armas led all of baseball last season in caught-stealing’s. And over the years we have seen some of the finest defensive work the Cubs system has had to offer from Miguel Amaya, to Casey Opitz, and more. Stransky has followed that exceptionally. He also continues to improve at the plate. It’s tough to follow his season debut and repeat it, where he smacked his first pro home run and drove in a career-high four RBI. But his three-hit performance on Saturday evening versus Lansing shows the Stransky bat can really provide a nice boost for the Cubs lineup in the bottom third of the order. He has been really solid in all avenues, and with the playing time available to whoever can show that they can fill the gap of Ayers, they will catch. So far, that has been Stransky.
Adam Stone, RHP: One of the best that the Cubs have had to offer out of the bullpen this season is Adam Stone. What a story as well. Not pitching since 2023, being picked up by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule-5 Draft this past winter, and now carving out a big role in the South Bend bullpen. Adam Stone pitched in the Arizona Fall League a year ago, but it was as a New York Yankees prospect. The Cubs liked him so much, the scooped him up, and here he is. One thing is clear. This guy is beloved by his teammates in the clubhouse. That is not easy to do with an organization that you have been in for just a few months. But Stone has found a way to do so. He’s the chess man of the clubhouse, and has brought chess back in a big way. Whether it’s before a game, after a game, at the team hotel, a rain delay, whatever. This guy is leading the chess craze. He’s also leading a spectacular stretch at the mound for himself. You never know how a guy is going to respond from multiple seasons missed due to injury, but Stone has done it admirably. He’s got a 1.32 ERA in six games, and batters are only hitting .160. It’s a small sample size, but with every outing he is giving the Cubs multiple innings at a time. And in his last nine innings, there has only been one run that has come home against him. He will be needed to try and extinguish this high powered Wisconsin order.
Schedule and Probables…
Tuesday, May 12 - 7:40 PM ET: RHP Koen Moreno vs. LHP Wande Torres
Wednesday, May 13 - 1:10 PM ET: RHP Eli Jerzembeck vs. RHP Yorman Galindez
Thursday, May 14 - 7:40 PM ET: LHP Ethan Flanagan vs. LHP J.D. Thompson
Friday, May 15 - 7:40 PM ET: LHP Cole Reynolds vs. RHP Ethan Dorchies
Saturday, May 16 - 2:10 PM ET: RHP Jostin Florentino vs. RHP Jason Woodward
Sunday, May 17 - 2:10 PM ET: TBA vs. LHP Wande Torres
Catch the entire six-game series in Appleton on 96.1 FM and 960 AM Sports Radio WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Max Thoma on the call.