FOND DU LAC – There was lots of excitement in the air Monday morning at Faith Lutheran School, where it was revealed the new Fond du Lac baseball team will be named the Dock Spiders.

A presentation flashed through Fond du Lac imagery as music ramped up and the new name flashed on the screen. Students and others gathered then sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with the new team name inserted, ending in screaming cheers.

The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders will play as part of the Northwoods League, in which teams are comprised of collegiate athletes on summer break.

Fond du Lac Baseball collected more than 800 suggestions of names for the Fond du Lac team, many with a nautical theme. The list was narrowed down to five finalists for a fan vote, with Dock Spiders beating out Barn Owls, Lake Flies, Pipsqueaks and Shantymen.

“We had over a thousand responses of people voting,” Fond du Lac Baseball General Manager Ryan Moede said. “It was a very close vote. (There was) a lot of support, but we are proud that we will be the Dock Spiders starting May of next year.”

Marian University’s Herr-Baker Field is in the process of being transformed into a baseball field appropriate for the new team, who will lease and share the field with the Marian and St. Mary Springs baseball teams. The Timber Rattlers, owners of the Dock Spiders, will spend about $1.5 million on the new facility, which includes seating for up to 2,000 people, an expanded ticket ad concession area, new restrooms and a retail space for the sale of merchandise. The field is expected to be completed mid-April.

Local leaders are hoping the addition of the team will attract visitors to Fond du Lac and be a way to practice Wisconsin’s storied thirst for sports a little closer to home.

The Fond du Lac team will mark the 20th in the Northwoods League, and the ninth club in Wisconsin with teams in Wisconsin Rapids and Green Bay popping up in recent years.

The Dock Spiders also will be the area’s first ballclub since the Fond du Lac Panthers disbanded in the early 1950s. Near the turn of the 20th century, Fond du Lac hosted a string of minor league baseball teams, such as the Fond du Lac Giants and the Fond du Lac Cubs.

The Fond du Lac baseball club is currently seeking host families to host Dock Spiders players from late May to mid-August, as well as college interns to help with the operations of the team throughout the summer. If interested, please email Ryan Moede at rmoede@fonddulacbaseball.com.

Reach Taima Kern at tkern@gannett.com or 920-907-7819 or Madeline Zukowski at mzukowski@gannett.com or 920-907-7968.