Month: April 2020

CRBL Schedule Revised to 10 Game Season Starting Early June

On the heels of Governor Tony Evers extension of Wisconsin stay-at-home order until May 26th, the Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) has cancelled all scheduled games in April and May. Additionally, the league has revised their orginial 20 game season season schedule down to a 10 game season beginning on June 7th.

The revised schedule will have each team complete in one 9-inning against every CRBL opponent. The league schedule drops from 110 total league games to 55.

REVISED CRBL Schedule Released

Due to the ongoing pandemic the CRBL has decided to reduce the league schedule to ten regular season games starting June 7th. This is dependent on the social guidelines and could change again in the future. We felt this was in the best interest of the league for our players and fans. We are just hoping to get some kind of a baseball season in at this point.

Rick Danielson – CRBL League President

Noteable Schedule Dates:

  • Season Opener – Sunday, June 7th
  • Jon Soiney Memorial Field Tripleheader (Osseo, WI) – Saturday, July 18th
    • Eau Claire Rivermen vs. Whitehall Wolves – 1pm
    • Beef River Bullfrogs vs. Osseo Merchants – 4pm
    • Eau Claire Cavaliers vs. Eau Claire Bears – 7 pm
  • All-Star Game – Sunday, July 5th hosted by the Eau Claire Cavaliers at Cinder City Park in Altoona.
  • Wildcard Wednesday – July 29th hosted at the winner of the North and South Divisions
  • Championship Saturday – August 1st hosted by the highest remaining seed

The last interuption of CRBL, or league versions, competition was between 1942-1945 when no league games were played. Presumably due to the region’s involvement in World War II.

League Team Previews

The 2020 Bloomer Fightin’ Woodticks are looking to build off the foundation of a successful year. In 2019, the Ticks went 12-10 and made the WBA playoffs for the first time since 2007.

The Cadott Red Sox are excited to be back in action for the 2020 CRBL season!  2019 was a fun year for the Sox. Cadott doubled their win total for the second consecutive year and they had the pleasure of hosting the CRBL all-star game.  

The Eau Claire Cavaliers is an amateur baseball organization that started in in 1971. The Eau Claire Cavaliers will celebrate their 50th season at historic Carson Park.

2019 represented a turning point for the Sturgeons, as Manager Nick Pitsch sought to stabilize an unsettled roster. After an 0-14 start, he led Jim Falls on an upswing, winning 5 of its last 8 to finish 5-17.

Under the direction of organizer and Manager Wayne Franz the Chippewa Falls LumberJacks return to the CRBL after a short stint on the shelf.  As a team with a storied past in the CRBL this new group of LumberJacks hopes to regain their footing quickly and begin carving (or hacking) out a spot similar to those of past Chippewa teams.

After winning the North Division and coming up short in the WBA State Championship Game, the Tilden Tigers will set their sights high for the upcoming season. They will return the core group of guys from last year’s state tournament team.

Scott “Sarge” Sorenson has officially stepped down as Manager of the Bullfrogs after 7 years. The team and it’s fans will miss his fiery and funny personality on game-day, but are looking forward to seeing where new Manager Jesse Ven Rooy will take the team in 2020 and beyond.

The Eau Claire Bears continued their run of success last year finishing another season at 17-5. The Bears made a run at the state title by winning their regional and knocking off defending champs Osseo Merchants in the first game of the State Tournament with a complete game ….

The 2019 season saw the Men win their last five league games in a row to finish their CRBL campaign 13 and 9 and grab a spot in the WBA tournament.

S 2019 was another successful season for the boys in blue, winning the CRBL South title and the league championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Merchants advanced to the WBA final 8 once again.

The Wolves finished the season 14-8 in league play, losing all eight games to the above-mentioned teams in some really good baseball games. We will need to win some of those close games this year to be competitive for a CRBL championship.