Category: News
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:
- Augusta Athletics
- Beef River Bullfrogs
- Bloomer Woodticks
- Cadott Red Sox
- Chippewa Falls LumberJacks
- Eau Claire Bears
- Eau Claire Cavaliers
- Eau Claire Rivermen
- Jim Falls Sturgeons
- Osseo Merchants
- Tilden Tigers
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 |
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1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 |
Details
Date | Time |
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April 20, 2024 | 10:30 am |
Field
Casper Park |
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1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 |
Details
Date | Time |
---|---|
April 20, 2024 | 1:00 pm |
Field
Casper Park |
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1025 W Canal St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 |
Details
Date | Time |
---|---|
April 20, 2024 | 3:30 pm |
Field
Casper Park |
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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
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 Schedule – 10,260
- CRBL Standings – 8,554
- Tilden Tigers Team Page – 2,903
- Eau Claire Cavaliers Team Page – 2,743
- Osseo Merchants Team Page – 2,639
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 |
- 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.
Nine CRBL Teams Qualify for WBA Tournament
Nine Chippewa River Baseball League teams have qualified for the Wisconsin Baseball Association (WBA) Tournament that begins Aug 11th at five host sites.
- Bloomer Woodticks
- Cadott Red Sox
- Chippewa Falls LumberJacks
- Eau Claire Bears
- Eau Claire Cavaliers
- Eau Claire Rivermen
- Jim Falls Sturgeons
- Osseo Merchants
- Tilden Tigers
See locations and pairings below. Follow score updates at the WBA Facebook Page or WBA website.
- The first WBA tournament was held in 1949, making 2023 the 75th WBA tournament on record.
- There were 48 teams associated with the WBA in 2023, all of which are located primarily in the northwestern part of Wisconsin.
- 9 of the 11 teams in the CRBL made the tournament, a single-season record.
- There have been nine WBA champions from the CRBL: Thorp Cardinals (1953), Augusta Atheltics (1994), Tilden Tigers (1995 & 2004), Eau Claire Bears (2005, 2008, 2009), Osseo Merchants (2018), and Eau Claire Cavaliers (2009).
- Six regionals will be held on August 11-13 at the following locations: Augusta, Ellsworth, Hayward, River Falls, and Wisconsin Rapids.
- Osseo and Tilden will be in Augusta. Chippewa Falls and Jim Falls will be in Hayward. Cadott and the Bears will be in River Falls. The Rivermen and Bloomer will be in Wisconsin Rapids. The Cavs will be in Ellsworth.
- The finals will be held on August 18-20 at Merchant Park in Osseo and Carson Park in Eau Claire.