Sean Williams/MDN The ownership group of the Northwoods League team coming to Minot pose together for a picture after an introductory press conference at Corbett Field.

It’s an exciting time around Minot and Corbett Field, as the community is getting closer to helping determine what the name will be of the new Northwoods League team.

The initial part of the naming process required fans and community members to submit name ideas, which resulted in over 340 submissions.

Ranging from humorous to unique and significant to Minot and North Dakota, the final list of five names to choose from has been announced.

Standing out amongst a ton of names, the finalists are the Minot Dakrats, Minot Hot Tots, Minot Why Nots, Minot Berserk (Berserkers), and Minot Night Owls.

Dakrats is a term that Minot Air Force Base residents and others have developed for prairie dogs and gophers in the area.

Hot Tots comes from the signature dish tater tot hot dish, which is a popular choice among North Dakota residents.

“Why not” is a common phrase used across North Dakota and is also the name of the team that played at Corbett Field in 1917, giving tribute on both a state and local level.

Berserk (berserkers) is a term that dives into the Norse and Scandinavian heritage. Berserkers, according to the old Norse written corpus, were those who fought in a trance-like fury.

Lastly, Night Owls plays into the railroad history, as it is a term for a passenger train that operates and runs late in the evening.

Following the list of finalists being announced, community members will once again be called upon for help. The next step will involve picking a favorite among the five and casting a vote online.

Voting can be completed by going to MinotNWLBaseball.com. Everyone who votes will be entered in a drawing to win one of 50 Minot Baseball inaugural caps or one of 25 inaugural season t-shirts.

To receive an additional entry for prizes, fans can reserve a five-game ticket package on the Minot NWL Baseball website, like Minot Baseball on Facebook and tag Minot Baseball in a post about their favorite name, and follow Minot Baseball on Twitter and tweet your favorite team name using #MinotNWLBaseball.

Voting for the name is now open and will remain open until Friday, Sept. 23. After voting concludes, the name will be announced at an event that will take place at Corbett Field on Thursday, Oct. 20.