Category: 2024 Season

Information, scores and news from the 2024 Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) season.

Statistical League Leaders for 2024 Season

View all the hitting and pitching Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) statistical league leaders for the 2024 season. A big thanks, to league secretary and historian Andy Niese for compiling and tabulated all the statistical data.

CRBL Hitting Leaders

PlayerTeamHABAVG (min 44 AB’s)
Sam KnickerbockerEau Claire Cavaliers2555.454
Luke EricksonCadott Red Sox 2149.429
CJ VarshoChippewa Falls LumberJacks2559.424
Drew SaylersEau Claire Bears2559.424
Mason TesterJim Falls Sturgeons2355.418
Corey PoirierBloomer Woodticks2254.407
Jordan SteinmetzTilden Tigers2053.377
Tyler PlitznerEau Claire Bears2361.377
Lucas SteinmetzTilden Tigers1746.370
Todd WienkesOsseo Merchants2157.368
PlayerTeamAB
Logan BurzynskiCadott Red Sox70
Logan BrownAugusta Athletics69
Taylor RathkeBeef River Bullfrogs67
Ryan FreitagOsseo Merchants65
Cole ZwiefelhoferTilden Tigers63
PlayerTeamHits
Sam KnickerbockerEau Claire Cavaliers25
Drew SaylersEau Claire Bears25
CJ VarshoChippewa Falls LumberJacks25
Logan BrownAugusta Athletics23
Tyler PlitznerEau Claire Bears23
Mason TesterJim Falls Sturgeons23
Cole ZwiefelhoferTilden Tigers23
PlayerTeam2B
Jesse BrockmanOsseo Merchants9
Mason TesterJim Falls Sturgeons8
Ryan FreitagOsseo Merchants7
AJ SchemenauerJim Falls Sturgeons7
James DavisEau Claire Rivermen6
Drew SaylersEau Claire Bears6
PlayerTeam3B
Lucas SteinmetzTilden Tigers2
Ten players tied with 11
PlayerTeamHR
Nolan BaierTilden Tigers3
Logan BurzynskiCadott Red Sox3
Ryan FreitagOsseo Merchants3
Jonah HansonCadott Red Sox3
Jaxon KostkaOsseo Merchants3
Chad KronCadott Red Sox3
Lucas SteinmetzTilden Tigers3
PlayerTeamRBI’s
Jesse BrockmanOsseo Merchants21
Ryan FreitagOsseo Merchants21
AJ SchemenauerJim Falls Sturgeons21
Nolan BaierTilden Tigers18
Hunter GuentherEau Claire Bears16
Lucas SteinmetzTilden Tigers16
PlayerTeamR
Ryan FreitagOsseo Merchants21
Nolan BaierTilden Tigers20
Jacob LacyTilden Tigers20
Hunter GuentherEau Claire Bears19
Jack KeinCadott Red Sox19
Chad KronCadott Red Sox19
PlayerTeamSB
Lance LettnerEau Claire Rivermen14
Jordan SteinmetzTilden Tigers13
Jacob LacyTilden Tigers11
Lucas SteinmetzTilden Tigers11
Logan BrownAugusta Athletics10
Ryan KrumenauerChippewa Falls LumberJacks10
PlayerTeamGP
Jack BoweChippewa Falls LumberJacks20
Logan BrownAugusta Athletics20
Caden EricksonEau Claire Cavaliers20
Ryan FreitagOsseo Merchants20
Ryan KrumenauerChippewa Falls LumberJacks20
Lance LettnerEau Claire Rivermen20
Andy NieseEau Claire Rivermen20
Tyler PlitznerEau Claire Bears20
Corey PoirierBloomer Woodticks20
Taylor Rathke Beef River Bullfrogs20
Mason TesterJim Falls Sturgeons20
Jake VarshoChippewa Falls LumberJacks
There were 259 recorded players in CRBL play for 2024. From that group, only the 12 players listed above, or just 4.63%, played in all 20 league games this season.
TeamHitsAB’sAVG
Eau Claire Bears199599.332
Tilden Tigers198608.326
Jim Falls Sturgeons169545.310
Cadott Red Sox180582.309
Osseo Merchants180589.306
Beef River Bullfrogs173630.275
Eau Claire Cavaliers151551.274
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks153567.270
Eau Claire Rivermen 151569.265
Augusta Athletics150587.256
Bloomer Woodticks111502.221
TeamRSRARDiff
Osseo Merchants16531+134
Tilden Tigers18368+115
Eau Claire Bears15560+95
Cadott Red Sox133104+29
Eau Claire Cavaliers10480+24
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks91100-9
Jim Falls Sturgeons105136-31
Eau Claire Rivermen 89124-35
Beef River Bullfrogs107175-68
Augusta Athletics99196-97
Bloomer Woodticks54211-157

CRBL Pitching Leaders

PlayerTeamERIPERA (min 20 IP)
Stephen ScatassaTilden Tigers222.20.79
Logan BoettcherOsseo Merchants220.20.87
Tyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks6421.29
Alex ByomOsseo Merchants5321.41
Luke EideOsseo Merchants1361.21.90
Chevy TollefsonEau Claire Bears9411.98
Andrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers1252.22.06
Ryan FlockEau Claire Bears6262.07
Hunter GuentherEau Claire Bears936.22.21
Zack ThiesseCadott Red Sox2282.22.40
PlayerTeamIP
Zack ThiesseCadott Red Sox82.2
Luke EideOsseo Merchants61.2
Andrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers52.2
Jesse UrbanekEau Claire Rivermen49.2
Will JacobsonJim Falls Sturgeons45.2
PlayerTeamW
Zack ThiesseCadott Red Sox8
Luke EideOsseo Merchants7
Hunter GuentherEau Claire Bears5
Tyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks5
PJ LeQuiaTilden Tigers5
Andrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers5
PlayerTeamWin % (min 5 decisions)
Hunter GuentherEau Claire Bears1.000 (W – 5 L – 0)
Tilden TigersTilden Tigers1.000 (W – 5 L – 0)
Luke EideOsseo Merchants.875 (W – 7 L – 1)
Tyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks.833 (W – 5 L – 1)
Zack ThiesseCadott Red Sox.800 (W – 8 L – 2)
Alex ByomOsseo Merchants.800 (W – 4 L – 1)
PlayerTeamK
Luke EideOsseo Merchants86
Zack ThiesseCadott Red Sox64
Andrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers64
Wes BoyarskiBeef River Bullfrogs49
Tyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks48
PlayerTeamSaves
Luke EideOsseo Merchants2
Tyson WoodcockEau Claire Cavaliers2
nine tied with 1
PlayerTeamShutouts
Tyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks3
Andrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers3
Zack ThiesseCadott Red Sox3
Luke EideOsseo Merchants2
Alex ByomOsseo Merchants2
Chevy TollefsonEau Claire Bears2
PlayerTeamK’s/9 IP (min 20 IP)
Luke EideOsseo Merchants12.55 (86 K/61.2 IP)
Stephen ScatassaTilden Tigers11.51 (29 K/29.2IP)
Wes BoyarskiBeef River Bullfrogs11.31 (49 K/39 IP)
Alex ByomOsseo Merchants11.25 (40 K/32 IP)
Andrew MilnerEau Claire Cavaliers10.94 (64 K/52.2 IP)
TeamERIPERA
Osseo Merchants251491.51
Eau Claire Bears 421482.55
Tilden Tigers47150.22.81
Chippewa Falls LumberJacks621453.84
Eau Claire Cavaliers62139.14.00
Cadott Red Sox671424.25
Jim Falls Sturgeons87136.15.74
Eau Claire Rivermen 104148.26.30
Beef River Bullfrogs136150.18.14
Augusta Athletics139143.28.71
Bloomer Woodticks148127.110.46

Noteworthy Performances & Milestones for 2024 Season

Pitching

  • On June 5th, the Cavs’ Andrew Milner pitched the 69th no-hitter in CRBL history, beating the EC Rivermen 10-0 in seven innings.
  • On June 30th, Osseo’s Alex Byom spun a 5-inning, 17-0 no-hitter vs. the Bloomer Woodticks. This was the 5th no-hitter of the righty’s dominant CRBL career. Alex’s five no-hitters are a CRBL record.
  • With a 4 and 2 mark this season, the Rivermen’s Tyler Gray now has 102 wins in his 19-season CRBL career, good for 2nd place all-time behind Hall of Famer Jim Hoepner’s 109 victories.
  • With two shutouts, the Bears’ Chevy Tollefson now has 17 shutouts over his 17-season career, tying him for 2nd place all-time in that category with Hall of Famer Tom Dachel. The all-time leader is Jim Hoepner with 19 shutouts.

Hitting

  • The Bears’ right-handed slugger Todd Lasher became the CRBL’s all-time leader in RBIs. By knocking in 12 runs this season, Lasher now has 372 RBIS for his 23-season CRBL career. The former leader was Bloomer great and CRBL Hall of Famer Scott Stuckert, who drove in 365 runs during his 35-season career.
  • With 17 total bases this season, Lasher also moved into second place all-time in that category, with 808 over his tenure, passing Tilden Hall of Famer Randy Baier who finished his 25-season CRBL career with 804. The all-time leader in total bases is the Eau Claire Rivermen’s Andy Niese with 891.

Managerial

  • In guiding Tilden to 17 and 3 record, Tiger skipper Ryan Baier jumped to 9th place all-time in managerial wins with 127. The leader in managerial victories is current Rivermen manager Andy Niese with 209.
  • With the Rivermen qualifying for the 2024 WBA, it marks the 16th season Niese has managed a team to the state tournament, breaking a tie with Augusta legend and CRBL Hall of Famer Jan Kruger, who managed the Athletics from 1989 to 2004.

League Managers Vote for All-League Awards

The Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) managers have voted and selected the 2024 all-league awards.

PositionPlayerTeam
OFDrew SaylersEau Claire Bears
OFLucas SteinmetzTilden Tigers
OFCJ VarshoChippewa Falls LumberJacks
3BTyler PlitznerEau Claire Bears
SSMason TesterJim Falls Sturgeons
2BJack KeinCadott Red Sox
1BCole ZwiefelhoferTilden Tigers
CSam KnickerbockerEau Claire Cavaliers
UTHunter GuentherEau Claire Bears
DHRyan FreitagOsseo Merchants
PLuke EideOsseo Merchants
PTyson LucasChippewa Falls LumberJacks
PZack ThiesseCadott Red Sox
  • Among the thirteen individuals selected for 2024 All-CRBL awards, there were ten first time award winners.
  • There were no unanimous selections.
  • 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.

Honorable Mention All-CRBL

TeamPlayerPosition
Augusta AthleticsJJ BreakerUT
Beef River BullfrogsWill ThibodeauUT
Bloomer WoodticksCorey Poirier2B
Cadott Red SoxLuke EricksonCF
Chippewa Falls LumberJacksJake VarshoSS
Eau Claire BearsJack SandvicUT
Eau Claire CavaliersXavier BembnisterOF
Eau Claire RivermenJoel Effertz3B
Jim Falls SturgeonsJace CotaOF
Osseo MerchantsJesse BrockmanSS
Tilden TigersJacob LeQuiaP
  • Of the eleven individuals recognized with an Honorable Mention All-CRBL award, six were first time selections
  • Tyler Gray’s seven Honorable Mention Awards are the CRBL record.

Gold Glove Awards

TeamPlayerPosition
Augusta AthleticsLogan BrownOF
Beef River BullfrogsMason BauerOF
Bloomer WoodticksConnor Hicks1B
Cadott Red SoxLuke EricksonCF
Chippewa Falls LumberJacksCJ VarshoOF
Eau Claire BearsJim Thill2B
Eau Claire CavaliersCade Mueller3B
Eau Claire RivermenLance LettnerOF
Jim Falls SturgeonsColton Turner1B
Osseo MerchantsLogan MatsonINF
Tilden TigersJordan SteinmetzC
  • This is the fourth season for the CRBL’s Gold Glove Awards.
  • Of the eleven gold glove recipients, nine were first time winners.

Other CRBL Awards

AwardPlayerTeam
Rookie of the YearDrew SaylersEau Claire Bears
MVPLuke EideOsseo Merchants
Jim Hoepner – Pitcher of the YearLuke EideOsseo Merchants
Jan Krueger – Manager of the YearAaron HagbergOsseo Merchants
Sportmanship AwardBloomer Woodticks
  • Luke Eide joins Alex Byom (’16 & ’18) and Ryan Freitag (’17 & ’19) as two-time CRBL MVP winners.
  • The Bloomer Woodticks have the most CRBL Sportsmanship Awards of any team/organization with 11.

League Championship Week Set

  • Saturday, August 3rd at Cinder City Park in Altoona, 12:30 pm.
  • This will be the Bears’ 11th championship game appearance and their first since 2016. Since joining the CRBL in 1998, the Bears have won 6 CRBL crowns. Their last championship was in 2014.
  • The Cavs will be making their third appearance in the CRBL championship game and their first since 2019. Since joining the CRBL in 2017, the Cavs have yet to win a CRBL title.
  • The Tilden Tigers have won a league record 19 league championships and has made a record 39 appearances in the championship game. The Tigers’ first year of league play was 1946.
  • The next closest franchise is the Chippewa Falls Lumberjacks with 7 CRBL crowns.
  • In 2023, the Osseo Merchants beat the Tilden Tigers, 2 to 1 at Casper Park.
  • Pitcher Luke Eide of Osseo was named MVP of last year’s contest.
  • CRBL Hall of Famer Shane Dutton is the only player to win multiple championship game MVP awards, doing so for Augusta in 1998 and 1999. The award has been given annually since 1998.
  • The first championship “contest” was a series, taking place in 1928 when the Eagleton Eagletons beat Eau Claire Union 2 games to 0.
  • Including 2024, this is the 96th season of play in CRBL history. Within that time frame, there have been 11 championship series. This Saturday marks the 61st championship game.

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


Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 8:00 am

Field

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

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 10:30 am

Field

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

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 1:00 pm

Field

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

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 3:30 pm

Field

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

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 6:00 pm

Field

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

Details

Date Time
April 20, 2024 8:30 pm

Field

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

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