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2025
Keeping the same lineup for a league-record fourth year in a row, the American Association saw continuation in another way: the Kane County Cougars joined the 2006-07 Fort Worth Cats and 2016-17 Winnipeg Goldeyes as the only back-to-back champions in league history.
There was one notable change that arrived in the postseason, as the Division Finals expanded from best-of-three back to a best-of-five round, now making it necessary to win eight games in September to claim the Miles Wolff Cup.
Lake Country continued their steady ascent with their first-ever division title and Sioux City stormed out of nowhere to the league’s best record, but both division champs went down in the first round. Chicago took down the DockHounds, while Sioux Falls, meanwhile, bounced back from a Game 1 shutout loss at home to score 23 runs over two days on the road and upset the X’s in the first round to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010. As it turned out, the expanded Division Finals were fortuitous, as both went the full five games. Kane County and Chicago traded wins back and forth with the Cougars taking Game 5 in Chicago, while Sioux Falls blew out Fargo-Moorhead in the decisive Game 5 in the West.
After taking a 2-1 series lead following three tight games, the Birds appeared on their way to their first AA crown since 2008, but blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning of Game 4 with the title on the line, then lost a heartbreaker on a tenth-inning grand slam in Game 5 as Kane County, with a 49-51 regular-season record, hoisted the Miles Wolff Cup once again, becoming the first AA champion to finish with a losing regular-season record.
Final Standings (Click on team name for full schedule)
East Division
| Team | W | L | Win Pct. | GB | Runs Scored | Runs Allowed | Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Country DockHounds-y | 55 | 45 | .550 | — | 463 | 450 | 86,506 |
| Chicago Dogs-x | 50 | 49 | .505 | 4.5 | 502 | 492 | 218,754 |
| Kane County Cougars-x | 49 | 51 | .490 | 6.0 | 469 | 467 | 243,426 |
| Milwaukee Milkmen-x | 45 | 55 | .450 | 10.0 | 472 | 522 | 83,501 |
| Cleburne Railroaders | 43 | 57 | .430 | 12.0 | 529 | 592 | 81,778 |
| Gary SouthShore RailCats | 38 | 62 | .380 | 17.0 | 406 | 494 | 147,629 |
West Division
| Team | W | L | Win Pct. | GB | Runs Scored | Runs Allowed | Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City Explorers-y | 64 | 36 | .640 | — | 516 | 447 | 57,534 |
| Kansas City Monarchs-x | 59 | 41 | .590 | 5.0 | 511 | 463 | 101,275 |
| Sioux Falls Canaries-x | 58 | 42 | .580 | 6.0 | 581 | 511 | 77,291 |
| Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks-x | 55 | 45 | .550 | 9.0 | 466 | 399 | 147,661 |
| Lincoln Saltdogs | 42 | 58 | .420 | 22.0 | 514 | 567 | 155,837 |
| Winnipeg Goldeyes | 41 | 59 | .410 | 23.0 | 453 | 479 | 186,541 |
Playoffs
East First Round — CHICAGO WINS 2-0
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/3/25 | Lake Country 9 at Chicago 11 | J. DeLabio | R. Gsellman | – | 1,047 |
| 9/5/25 | Chicago 4 at Lake Country 0 | B. Miller | J. Nix | – | 680 |
East First Round — KANE COUNTY WINS 2-1
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/3/25 | Kane County 2 at Milwaukee 1 | K. Ash | J. Diaz | J. Gozzo | 234 |
| 9/5/25 | Milwaukee 12 at Kane County 0 | J. Mesquita | C. Mazza | – | 804 |
| 9/6/25 | Milwaukee 2 at Kane County 3 | J. Gozzo | D. Bentley | – | 625 |
West First Round — SIOUX FALLS WINS 2-1
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/3/25 | Sioux City 5 at Sioux Falls 0 | K. Marman | T. Brown | – | 807 |
| 9/5/25 | Sioux Falls 16 at Sioux City 8 | N. Culley | C. Jessee | – | 1,003 |
| 9/6/25 | Sioux Falls 7 at Sioux City 1 | R. Zimmerman | J. Wetherbee | – | 322 |
West First Round — FARGO-MOORHEAD WINS 2-1
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/3/25 | at Kansas City 0 at Fargo-Moorhead 1 | K. Crigger | B. Goldsberry | G. Alexander | 1,358 |
| 9/5/25 | Fargo-Moorhead 3 at Kansas City 4 (15 innings) | J. Goddard | G. Alexander | – | 923 |
| 9/6/25 | Fargo-Moorhead 6 at Kansas City 0 | T. Jandron | A. Goudeau | – | 655 |
East Finals — KANE COUNTY WINS 3-2
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/8/25 | Chicago 3 at Kane County 10 | K. Ash | C. Nedrow | – | 567 |
| 9/9/25 | Chicago 5 at Kane County 3 | T. Braithwaite | J. Fox | J. DeLabio | 724 |
| 9/11/25 | Kane County 9 at Chicago 4 | D. Stagliano | J. Keys | – | 1,861 |
| 9/12/25 | Kane County 3 at Chicago 5 | S. Lacey | V. Timpanelli | J. DeLabio | 1,802 |
| 9/13/25 | Kane County 10 at Chicago 3 | K. Ash | P. Prigden | – | 1,221 |
West Finals — SIOUX FALLS WINS 3-2
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/8/25 | Sioux Falls 1 at Fargo-Moorhead 2 | S. Barringer | W. Levine | – | 1,286 |
| 9/9/25 | Sioux Falls 9 at Fargo-Moorhead 2 | M. Solter | K. Crigger | – | 1,623 |
| 9/11/25 | Fargo-Moorhead 7 at Sioux Falls 8 (10 innings) | S. Alvarado | T. Jeans | – | 801 |
| 9/12/25 | Fargo-Moorhead 4 at Sioux Falls 1 (10 innings) | C. Davis | C. LaLonde | G. Alexander | 1,068 |
| 9/13/25 | Fargo-Moorhead 2 at Sioux Falls 11 | T. Brown | S. Barringer | – | 728 |
Miles Wolff Cup Finals — KANE COUNTY WINS 3-2
| Date | Score | W | L | SV | Attend. |
| 9/15/25 | Sioux Falls 3 at Kane County 4 | J. Gozzo | S. Barringer | – | 835 |
| 9/16/25 | Sioux Falls 5 at Kane County 4 | T. Dorminy | C. Mazza | C. Hasty | 1,238 |
| 9/18/25 | Kane County 3 at Sioux Falls 5 | R. Zimmerman | K. Ash | C. LaLonde | 909 |
| 9/19/25 | Kane County 3 at Sioux Falls 2 | L. Nissen | C. LaLonde | J. Gozzo | 1,922 |
| 9/20/25 | Kane County 7 at Sioux Falls 5 (10 innings) | J. Gozzo | R. Zimmerman | – | 1,736 |
Finals MVP: Claudio Finol (Kane County) — .450/.476/.750, 9 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R
Award Winners
| Player of the Year | Calvin Estrada (Sioux Falls) 92 G, .352/.413/.604, 30 2B, 20 HR, 88 RBI, 20 SB |
| Pitcher of the Year | Jake Dykhoff (Fargo-Moorhead) 11-4, 1.63 ERA, 27 G, 2 SHO, 93.2 IP, 81 K, 0.929 WHIP |
| Rookie Hitter of the Year | Henry Kusiak (Chicago) 79 G, .309/.377/.481, 16 2B, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 50 R |
| Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Luke Hansel (Lake Country) 9-5, 3.48 ERA, 19 GS, 116.1 IP, 99 K, 1.135 WHIP |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Andy Armstrong (Winnipeg/Kane County) 69 G, .997 Fld%, 1 error in 294 chances at 2B & SS |
| Manager of the Year | Steve Montgomery (Sioux City) League-best 64-36 record, West Division title |
Postseason All-Stars
| Catcher | Chance Sisco (Chicago) 95 G, .301/.404/.573, 103 H, 53 R, 38 2B, 17 HR, 61 RBI |
| First Base | Kyle Martin (Cleburne) 96 G, .279/.368/.593, 98 H, 77 R, 21 2B, 29 HR, 90 RBI |
| Second Base | Brantley Bell (Chicago/Kansas City) 71 G, .313/.358/.492, 93 H, 44 R, 18 2B, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 14 SB |
| Third Base | Calvin Estrada (Sioux Falls) 92 G, .352/.413/.604, 129 H, 71 R, 30 2B, 20 HR, 88 RBI, 20 SB |
| Shortstop | Jordan Barth (Sioux Falls) 98 G, .303/.349/.545, 120 H, 71 R, 25 2B, 7 3B, 19 HR, 66 RBI |
| Utility | Robbie Glendenning (Kansas City) 87 G, .256/.367/.472, 81 H, 50 R, 12 2B, 18 HR, 71 RBI, 15 SB |
| Outfield | Dillon Thomas (Fargo-Moorhead) 94 G, .312/.430/.513, 109 H, 67 R, 21 2B, 15 HR, 50 RBI, 15 SB |
| Outfield | Josh Rehwaldt (Sioux Falls) 94 G, .315/.430/.531, 108 H, 74 R, 22 2B, 16 HR, 61 RBI, 16 SB |
| Outfield | Henry George (Sioux City) 92 G, .291/.402/.439, 100 H, 65 R, 22 2B, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 43 SB |
| Designated Hitter | Todd Lott (Kane County) 84 G, .320/.359/.506, 105 H, 41 R, 31 2B, 10 HR, 58 RBI |
| Starting Pitcher | Jake Dykhoff (Fargo-Moorhead) 11-4, 1.63 ERA, 27 G, 2 SHO, 93.2 IP, 81 K, 0.929 WHIP |
| Relief Pitcher | Felix Cepeda (Sioux City) 6-3, 1.42 ERA, 44 G, 24 SV, 50.2 IP, 63 K, 1.204 WHIP |
All-Star Game
July 22, 2025 at Newman Outdoor Field – Fargo, ND
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| East | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 2 |
| West | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Attendance: 3,033 Box Score
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