CRBL All-Star Team Announced

The Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) managers have voted and selected the 2024 North and South All-Star teams. The CRBL All-Star game will be hosted by the Jim Fall Sturgeons on Sunday, July 7th at 2 pm. The 2024 Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during the game.

North All-Stars

PositionPlayerTeam
CJonah HansonCadott Red Sox
1BAJ SchemenauerJim Falls Sturgeons
2BJack KeinCadott Red Sox
3BChad KronCadott Red Sox
SSMason TesterJim Falls Sturgeons
OFCJ VarshoChippewa Falls LumberJacks
OFLuke EricksonCadott Red Sox
OFJace CotaJim Falls Sturgeons
DHCorey PoierBloomer Woodticks
EHBob MauerJim Falls Sturgeons
PZack ThiesseCadott Red Sox
PJacob LequiaTilden Tigers
PWill JacobsonJim Fall Sturgeons
PTyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks
PDawson RiceChippewa Falls LumberJacks
PCole SchwabBloomer Woodticks
PGio BasileCadott Red Sox
CPatrick CallaghanBloomer Woodticks
CBobby SoranJim Falls Sturgeons
1BCole ZwiefelhoferTilden Tigers
2BBrendan BresinaTilden Tigers
SSJake VarshoChippewa Falls LumberJacks
3BMatt MartineauChippewa Falls LumberJacks
OFJack RedwineCadott Red Sox
OFBlake TripplerChippewa Falls LumberJacks
OFJacob LacyTilden Tigers
UTJackson SimmonsBloomer Woodticks
The North will be managed by Ryan Baier (Tilden Tigers)
*Rosters subject to change*

South All-Stars

PositionPlayerTeam
CJack SandvicEau Claire Bears
1BBlake JohnsonEau Claire Bears
2BCody DaytonEau Claire Cavaliers
3BTyler PlitznerEau Claire Bears
SSHunter GuentherEau Claire Bears
OFDrew SalyerEau Claire Bears
OFXavier BembinsterEau Claire Cavaliers
DHRyan FreitagOsseo Merchants
EHJJ BreakerAugusta Athletics
PChevy TollefsonEau Claire Bears
PAndrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers
PTyson WoodcockEau Claire Cavaliers
PWes BoyarskiBeef River Bullfrogs
PEthan BartlesBeef River Bullfrogs
PLuke EideOsseo Merchants
PRyan FlockEau Claire Bears
PConnor WeltzienOsseo Merchants
CSam KnickerbockerEau Claire Cavaliers
CJake BeckerEau Claire Rivermen
CBrady IngersollAugusta Athletics
UTWill ThibodeauBeef River Bullfrogs
1BJoe ZawackiOsseo Merchants
2BBrett JensenEau Claire Rivermen
3BCade MuelllerEau Claire Cavaliers
SSJesse BrockmanOsseo Merchants
2BCole StensenAugusta Athletics
OFBrayton ThillmanEau Claire Cavaliers
OFKyle MaugBeef River Bullfrogs
OFMason BauerBeef River Bullfrogs
OFJaxon KostkaOsseo Merchants
DHTodd LasherEau Claire Bears
DHJoe HallingEau Claire Bears
DHDevon McCuneOsseo Merchants
The South will be managed by Aaron Hagberg (Osseo Merchants) and assisted by Dave Strauch (Eau Claire Bears), Byron King (Augusta Athletics) & Duane Ives (Augusta Athletics)
*Rosters subject to change*
  • 68th All-Star game
  • The South leads the series 34-16
  • The South won the last meeting 6-4 on June 30th at Casper Park

2024 Season Preview

Baseball greetings to all our fans, followers, alumni, and friends. It is with great sincerity that we would like to welcome you to another year of competitive amateur baseball within the storied Chippewa River Baseball League. Incredibly, 2024 marks the 96th season of baseball over 116 years, dating back to the CRBL’s first season of existence in 1908. Very few baseball leagues across the USA – amateur or professional – can substantiate such an existence of length and success. Plainly stated, this is something that anyone associated with the CRBL should take great pride in.

2023 saw the established heavyweights of the CRBL battle it out for league supremacy, with the (17 and 3) Osseo Merchants besting the (17 and 3) Tilden Tigers in a for the CRBL crown in a good ol’ fashion pitching duel, 2 to 1 at Casper Park. The title marked Osseo’s fifth CRBL championship since their inaugural season of play in 1999.

The following weekend, eight CRBL teams ventured into the unforgiving metaverse of the WBA Tournament. From the jagged edges of regional pool play, only Tilden, Osseo, and the Eau Claire Cavaliers survived to play yet another weekend. In the WBA Finals held at Carson Park and Osseo, Tilden’s superior talent propelled the Tigers to an unblemished 6 and 0 mark in the tournament, culminating with a 7 to 1 victory over the Everest Merchants in the CRBL title bout. Historically, this was Tilden’s third WBA championship (1995, 2004, 2023) and the tenth time a CRBL team has won the WBA tournament, which began in 1947.

2024 CRBL Schedule Released

The Chippewa Rivers Baseball League (CRBL) has revealed the 2024 season schedule. Five teams will compete in the North Division and six teams will compete in the South Division. The 110-game season will see each CRBL team play a 20-game schedule starting Sunday, April 28th. The 2024 season will mark the 96th season of league play.

Notable Schedule Dates

  • Sunday, April 28th – Opening Day
  • Sunday, July 7th – CRBL All-Star Game hosted by the Jim Falls Sturgeons at Grudem Field, 2 pm (Hall of Fame Classes of 2024 to be honored)
  • Wednesday, July 31st – Wildcard Wednesday
  • Saturday, August 3rd – Championship Saturday

All weekday games begin at 7 pm (unless otherwise noted). All weekend games begin at 12:30 pm (unless otherwise noted). Follow www.crblbaseball.com all season long for scores, standings and schedule changes.

Each teams individual 2024 schedule can be found at their team page:

NOTE: Schedule Subject to Change

Second Year for CRBL Spring Showcase

The Chippewa Fall LumberJacks are excited to host the CRBL Spring Showcase Tournament at Casper Park on April 20th and 21st. We look forward to an fun and competitive weekend of baseball for our players, fans, and local community. 

The tournament has grown from four to seven teams with a total of 10 games scheduled over the two day tournament.

The LumberJacks will offer full concessions and other activities during the course of the weekend for the fans and players alike. 

Showcase Schedule

Saturday, April 20th – 8:00AM, Bloomer vs EC Rivermen
Saturday, April 20th – 10:30AM, Bloomer vs Chippewa Falls
Saturday, April 20th – 1:00PM, Beef River vs Chippewa Falls
Saturday, April 20th – 3:30PM, Augusta vs Jim Falls
Saturday, April 20th – 6:00PM, EC Bears vs EC Rivermen
Saturday, April 20th – 8:30PM, EC Bears vs Jim Falls
Sunday, April 21st – 8:00AM, Home Run Derby
Sunday, April 21st – 9:30AM, Augusta vs Beef River
Sunday, April 21st – 12:00PM, 1 Seed vs 4 Seed
Sunday, April 21st – 2:30PM, 2 Seed vs 3 Seed
Sunday, April 21st – 5:00PM, Championship Game

vs

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 8:00 am

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
vs

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 10:30 am

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
vs

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 1:00 pm

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
vs

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 3:30 pm

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
vs

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 6:00 pm

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
vs

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 8:30 pm

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
vs

Details

Date Time
April 21, 2024 9:30 am

Field

Casper Park
1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

2024 CRBL Spring Showcase Finals

Round 1 Round 2
  
April 21, 2024
12:00 pm
 
April 21, 2024
5:00 pm
 
 
 
April 21, 2024
2:30 pm
 
 
 

What Happened on CRBL Website in 2023

How Ballplayers and Fans Used the CRBL Website

  • Total Visitors – 15,015

  • Total Page Views – 82,207

  • Most Users in One Day – Sunday, July 16th – 183

  • Most Page Views in One Day – Sunday, July 16th – 1,317

Most Popular Pages over 2023 (Excludes Homepage)

CRBL Mascots Make Volume One List

The Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) has had over 90 teams in the nearly 100 year league history with various towns and mascots. Team names from the “Saints” to “Needles” and “Sluggers” to Slammers”, the league has had it’s share of unique Mascots.

A local publication, Volume One, recently put together an article of the top five “Awesome” mascots in Western Wisconsin. Well three CRBL teams made the cut!

  • Bloomer Fightin Woodticks (Since 1993) – #1
  • Jim Falls Sturgeons (Since 1965) – #2
  • Beef River Bullfrogs (Since 1996) – #4

Read full article here.

2023 Team & Individual Stat Leaders

CRBL Hitting Leaders

Player Team H AB AVG
Tanner Halverson Tilden Tigers 25 46 .543
Cole Zwiefelhofer Tilden Tigers 26 52 .500
Gabe Richardson Osseo Merchants 34 70 .486
Bobby Soran Jim Falls Sturgeons 30 64 .469
Blake Johnson Eau Claire Bears 26 59 .441
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 28 64 .438
Jack Bowe Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 24 56 .429
Nolan Hutzler Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 25 61 .410
AJ Schemenauer Jim Falls Sturgeons 26 65 .400
Joe Halling Eau Claire Bears 23 59 .390
Player Team At-Bats
Caden Erickson Eau Claire Cavaliers 85
Lance Lettner Eau Claire Rivermen 73
Gabe Richardson Osseo Merchants 70
Nolan Baier Tilden Tigers 67
Chad Kron Cadott Red Sox 67
Player Team Hits
Gabe Richardson Osseo Merchants 34
Bobby Soran Jim Falls Sturgeons 30
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 28
Blake Johnson Eau Claire Bears 26
AJ Schemenauer Jim Falls Sturgeons 26
Cole Zwiefelhofer Tilden Tigers 26
Player Team Doubles
Caden Erickson Eau Claire Cavaliers 10
Matt Martineau Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 10
Gabe Richardson Osseo Merchants 10
Tanner Halverson Tilden Tigers 9
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 7
AJ Schemenauer Jim Falls Sturgeons 7
Blake Loegering Eau Claire Rivermen 7
Player Team Home Runs
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 8
Tanner Halverson Tilden Tigers 5
Gabe Richardson Osseo Merchants 5
Ely Johnson Cadott Red Sox 4
Jaxon Kostka Osseo Merchants 3
Bobby Soran Jim Falls Sturgeons 3
Player Team RBI’s
Gabe Richardson Osseo Merchants 34
Tanner Halverson Tilden Tigers 32
Jaxon Kostka Osseo Merchants 26
Nolan Baier Tilden Tigers 21
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 20
Cole Zwiefelhofer Tilden Tigers 20
Player Team Runs
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 33
Todd Wienkes Osseo Merchants 24
Tanner Halverson Tilden Tigers 22
Tristan Hable Jim Falls Sturgeons 21
Lucas Steinmetz Tilden Tigers 21
Player Team SB’s
Lance Lettner Eau Claire Rivermen 13
Chad Kron Cadott Red Sox 9
Nate Kent Eau Claire Bears 8
Gabe O’Brien Eau Claire Cavaliers 7
Josh Garcia Eau Claire Cavaliers 7
Player Team BB’s
Nolan Hutzler Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 22
Lucas Steinmetz Tilden Tigers 21
Gabe O’Brien Eau Claire Cavaliers 17
Ryan Freitag Osseo Merchants 15
Jake Varsho Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 15
Todd Wienkes Osseo Merchants 15
Team Hits At-Bats AVG
Tilden Tigers 214 624 .343
Osseo Merchants 198 589 .336
Jim Falls Sturgeons 174 568 .306
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 177 587 .302
Eau Claire Bears 172 576 .299
Cadott Red Sox 168 595 .282
Eau Claire Rivermen 171 633 .270
Eau Claire Cavaliers 162 619 .262
Augusta Athletics 143 597 .240
Bloomer Fighting Woodticks 126 539 .234
Beef River Bullfrogs 130 576 .226

CRBL Pitching Leaders

Pitcher Team ER IP ERA (Min 20 IP)
Laidel Torres Osseo Merchants 0 27 0.00
Tanner Halverson Tilden Tigers 0 20 0.00
Luke Eide Osseo Merchants 7 63 1.00
Lucas Costley Eau Claire Cavaliers 8 53.2 1.35
Quintin Gonzalez Eau Claire Bears 10 57 1.58
Henry Wilkinson Cadott Red Sox 11 56 1.77
Joel Zachow Eau Claire Bears 6 26.2 2.03
Alex Byom Osseo Merchants 10 39.2 2.27
Blake Trippler Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 7 22 2.86
Tim Anderson Beef River Bullfrogs 9 26.1 3.08
Pitcher Team IP’s
Tyler Gray Eau Claire Rivermen 73
Luke Eide Osseo Merchants 63
Jesse Urbanek Eau Claire Rivermen 62.2
JJ Breaker Augusta Athletics 59.2
Curtis Dachel Bloomer Fighting Woodticks 59
Pitcher Team W
Luke Eide Osseo Merchants 8
Tyler Gray Eau Claire Rivermen 6
Lucas Costley Eau Claire Cavaliers 6
Henry Wilkinson Cadott Red Sox 6
Alex Byom Osseo Merchants 5
Quintin Gonzalez Eau Claire Bears 5
PJ LeQuia Tilden Tigers 5
Jesse Urbanek Eau Claire Rivermen 5
Pitcher Team Win % (Min 5 decisions)
Lucas Costley Eau Claire Cavaliers 1.000 (W – 6 L – 0
Alex Byom Osseo Merchants 1.000 (W – 5 L – 0)
PJ LeQuia Tilden Tigers 1.000 (W – 5 L – 0
Luke Eide Osseo Merchants .889 (W – 8 L – 1
Henry Wilkinson Cadott Red Sox .857 (W – 6 L – 1)
Pitcher Team K’s
Quintin Gonzalez Eau Claire Bears 91
Luke Eide Osseo Merchants 82
Andrew Milner Eau Claire Cavaliers 65
Henry Wilkinson Cadott Red Sox 63
Alex Byom Osseo Merchants 61
Pitcher Team Saves
Peter Thaler Jim Falls Sturgeons 2
Tyson Woodcock Eau Claire Cavaliers 2
Pitcher Team Shutouts
Luke Eide Osseo Merchants 3
Alex Byom Osseo Merchants 2
Laidel Torres Osseo Merchants 2
Pitcher Team K’s/9 IP (Min 20 IP)
Andrew Milner Eau Claire Cavaliers 14.51 (65 K/40.1 IP)
Quintin Gonzalez Eau Claire Bears 14.37 (91 K/57 IP)
Alex Byom Osseo Merchants 13.84 (61 K/39.2 IP)
Jalen Pascal Eau Claire Cavaliers 13.70 (35 K/23 IP)
Laidel Torres Osseo Merchants 12.00 (36 K/27 IP)
Team ER’s IP’s ERA
Osseo Merchants 40 142 2.54
Eau Claire Bears 43 148 2.62
Eau Claire Rivermen 59 158 3.36
Tilden Tigers 56 149.1 3.38
Eau Claire Cavaliers 75 161.2 4.18
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks 70 141 4.47
Cadott Red Sox 73 146.1 4.49
Augusta Athletics 105 148.1 6.37
Jim Falls Sturgeons 101 138.1 6.57
Beef River Bullfrogs 112 144.1 6.98
Bloomer Fighting Woodticks 139 137.2 9.09

Tilden Tigers win the 2023 WBA Title

Congratulations to the Tilden Tigers for winning the 2023 WBA Title with a 7-1 victory over the Everest Merchants.

  • It’s the third overall WBA Title for the Tilden Tigers
  • They won WBA Titles in 1995 and 2004
  • Mike Roiger Memorial Pitching MVP – Tanner Halvorson – Tilden Tigers
  • Burt Ekern Memorial Offensive MVP – Jordan Steinmetz – Tilden Tigers
  • Dick Leonhard Memorial Defensive MVP – Ben Steinmetz – Tilden Tigers

Tilden’s road to the WBA championship.

  • 8/12 – Tilden Tigers 12 / Elmwood Expos 3 (7 innings)
  • 8/13 – Tilden Tigers 13 / Marshfield Chaparrals 0 (7 innings)
  • 8/18 – Tilden Tigers 10 / Hudson River Rats 0 (7 innings)
  • 8/19 – Tilden Tigers 8 / Spooner Cardinals 7 (11 innings)
  • 8/20 – Tilden Tigers 12 / Osseo Merchants 2 (7 innings)
  • 8/20 – Tilden Tigers 7 / Everest Merchants 1

2023 Season Highlights & Milestones

  • Tilden rookie Brady Christianson threw the league’s 67th no-hitter on June 4th in a 5-inning, 14-0 victory over the Beef River Bullfrogs.
  • Alex Byom twirled the 68th no-hitter in CRBL history in Osseo’s 11-0, 5-inning win vs. Bloomer on June 11th. It was Byom’s league record 4th no-hitter.
  • Tyler Gray of the Eau Claire Rivermen spun the 15th shutout of his career on July 23rd in a 7-0 win vs. the Jim Falls Sturgeons. Gray currently ranks 3rd all-time in that category, tied with the Eau Claire Bears’ Chevy Tollefson. The all-time leader in CRBL shutouts is Jim Hoepner with 19.
  • Additionally, with 73 innings, 6 wins, and 9 decisions this season, Gray is now 2nd all-time in wins with 98, 2nd all-time in innings pitched with 1,146.2, as well as 2nd all-time with 157 decisions. The all-time leader in wins is CRBL Hall of Famer Jim Hoepner with 109 while fellow CRBL Hall of Famer Russ Nelson has the most decisions with 219 and the most innings pitched with 1,770.1.
  • With 59 frames this season, Bloomer’s Curtis Dachel moved into 6th place all-time in career innings pitched with 851.1.
  • Osseo’s Laidel Torres did not give up an earned run in 27 innings of work. The single-season ERA record is held by another Osseo pitcher – Jake Peterson – who had an ERA of 0.00 in 29 innings during the 2018 league season.
  • With 8 more long balls this year, Osseo’s Ryan Freitag now has 62 home runs in his outstanding CRBL career. The all-time leader in taters is Tilden legend Randy Baier with 83.
  • In the “rate’ stats area, Freitag is the all-time leader in on base percentage (.551), 2nd all-time in slugging percentage (.737), and 2nd all-time in OPS. (1.288). The all-time leader in slugging percentage is former Augusta Athletic masher Jeremiah Paulson with an .835 mark. Paulson is also the all-time leader in OPS., checking in with a 1.365 total.
  • The Eau Claire Bears’ Todd Lasher had 12 RBI’s this season, giving him 360 over his standout 22-season CRBL career, good for 2nd place all-time. The all-time leader in RBI’s is Bloomer icon Scott Stuckert with 365.
  • Moreover, with 3 doubles in 2023, Lasher also moved into 3rd place all-time in doubles with 90 two-baggers. The clubhouse leader is Niese with 111. (And) with 18 hits and 61 at-bats this season, the Bears’ outfielder is now 4th all-time in both categories, with 474 hits and 1,369 at-bats. The all-time leader in each is the Eau Claire Rivermen’s Andy Niese, who currently has 642 hits and 1,878 at-bats.
  • Longtime Eau Claire Bear Jim Thill had 10 hits this season, putting his career total at 403 and becoming just the 9th hitter in CRBL history to go over the 400-hit barrier.
  • By walking 14 times this season, Niese moved into 2nd place all-time in free passes with 359. The all-time leader is Tilden great Mitch Steinmetz with 374.
  • Eau Claire Rivermen player/manager Andy Niese became the first manager in CRBL history to record 200 managerial wins, with the milestone coming in a 6-2 victory vs. the Jim Falls Sturgeons in the second game of a doubleheader sweep on July 23rd.
  • Niese also has now managed 350 games over his 19 seasons as a player/manager, good for 2nd place all-time. CRBL Hall of Famer Scott Stuckert is the undisputed leader with an incredible 486 game managed over his venerable 27-seasons leading Bloomer.

CRBL Managers Select All-League Players

The Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) managers have voted and selected the 2023 all-league awards.

Position Player Team
OF Tanner Halvorson* Tilden Tigers
OF Jaxon Kostka Osseo Merchants
OF Jack Bowe Chippewa Falls LumberJacks
3rd Base Gabe Richardson* Osseo Merchants
Shortstop Nolan Hutzler* Chippewa Falls LumberJacks
2nd Base Caden Erickson Eau Claire Cavaliers
1st Base Blake Johnson Eau Claire Bears
Catcher Bobby Soran Jim Falls Sturgeons
Utility PJ Lequia Tilden Tigers
DH Ryan Freitag* Osseo Merchants
Pitcher Quintin Gonzalez Eau Claire Bears
Pitcher Luke Eide* Osseo Merchants
Pitcher Lucas Costley Eau Claire Cavaliers
*Unanimous Selection
  • Five unaimous selections – Luke Eide, Gabe Richardson, Nolan Hutzler, Tanner Halvorson and Ryan Freitag
  • Among the thirteen individuals selected for 2023 All-CRBL awards, there were nine first time award winners.
  • Two individuals were repeat winners from 2023.
  • The all-time leader in All-CRBL awards is the Eau Claire Rivermen’s Andy Niese with 13.
Award Player Team
Rookie of the Year Henry Wilkinson Cadott Red Sox
MVP Tanner Halvorson Tilden Tigers
Jim Hoepner – Pitcher of the Year* Luke Eide Osseo Merchants
Jan Krueger – Manager of the Year Rick Danielson Cadott Red Sox
Sportsmanship Award Bloomer Woodticks
*Inaugural Year
  • The Jim Falls Sturgeons and Bloomer Fighting Woodticks have the most CRBL Sportsmanship Awards of any team/organization with 10 each.

Honorable Mention All-CRBL

Team Player Position
Augusta Athletics JJ Breaker Utility
Beef River Bullfrogs Will Thibideau Catcher
Bloomer Woodticks Connor Hicks 1st Base
Cadott Red Sox Cole Bakkum OF
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks Jake Varsho 2nd Base
Eau Claire Bears Joe Halling Catcher
Eau Claire Cavaliers Cooper Kapanke 1st Base
Eau Claire Rivermen Blake Loegering 1st Base
Jim Falls Sturgeons AJ Schemenauer Utility
Osseo Merchants Alex Byom Pitcher
Tilden Tigers Cole Zwiefelhofer DH
  • Of the eleven individuals recognized with an Honorable Mention All-CRBL award, nine were first time selections
  • Tyler Gray’s seven Honorable Mention Awards are the CRBL record.

Gold Glove Awards

Team Player Position
Augusta Athletics Ryan Stunkel Catcher
Beef River Bullfrogs Taylor Rathke 2nd Base
Bloomer Woodticks Tyler Plitnzer Catcher
Cadott Red Sox Zach Merritt 3rd Base
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks Trevor Franz OF
Eau Claire Bears Joe Halling Catcher
Eau Claire Cavaliers Xavier Bembnister CF
Eau Claire Rivermen Lance Lettner CF
Jim Falls Sturgeons Tristan Hable CF
Osseo Merchants Todd Wienkes Catcher
Tilden Tigers Drew Steinmetz SS
  • This is the third season for the CRBL’s Gold Glove Awards.
  • Of the eleven gold glove recipients, seven were first time winners and three were repeat winners.