St. Cloud Twins Fans Pack Convention Center For Winter Caravan

The Twins Winter Caravan made its annual stop in St. Cloud Monday night before a packed crowd of nearly 400 people. Current Twins pitcher Louie Varland and outfielder Matt Wallner were on hand alongside former Twin LaTroy Hawkins, broadcaster Cory Provus, mascot TC Bear and team President Dave St. Peter.

Folks in the VIP area were able to snag photos and autographs before the main presentation began at 7 p.m. with a hype video, followed by a Q and A with the Twins on stage.

"It's so awesome going around the state and seeing the fans all over," Wallner said. "It's a lot of fun for us."

Wallner said he played a lot of baseball in St. Cloud over the years. He mentioned playing Legion baseball at Joe Faber Field and many games at Waite Park. He is entering what is expected to be his first full season in the majors.

"You never know, honestly, but I have put in the work and I was ready for it (in 2023)," Wallner said. "It was really rewarding to earn that spot and have Rocco (Baldelli) trust in me."

Varland is a St. Paul native who pitched for Concordia-St. Paul. He said he made a lot of trips with the team to St. Cloud to take on the Huskies, but never ended up actually pitching against them.

"I never pitched against them, but my brother did, and he always did well," Varland said. "But, we he wasn't pitching they seemed to always beat us."