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, 2023 marks the 95th season of play over 115 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.
2022 saw the CRBL operate without divisional play for the first time since 1972. From the 10-team arrangement, the Tilden Tigers claimed the best regular season record at 16 and 2, followed by the wildcard teams of Osseo (15-3), the Eau Claire Bears (13-5), and Chippewa Falls (12-6). In the August 6th championship tilt at Casper Park in Chippewa Falls, Tilden beat Osseo 12-5 to capture their league record 39th championship.
The following weekend, seven CRBL teams ventured into the WBA Tournament. From the semi-final fracas of pool play, only Tilden and the Eau Claire Cavaliers survived to the subsequent Finals weekend, with Tilden continuing to roll all the way to the WBA championship game. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost a heart breaker in the title bout to the River Falls Fighting Fish, 3 to 2.
Looking ahead to 2023, the CRBL will welcome back the Augusta Athletics, who played in the league from 1989 to 2019. Also returning will be the tradition of divisional play in the following arrangement:
South Division (6 teams): Augusta Athletics, Beef River Bullfrogs, Eau Claire Bears, Eau Claire Cavaliers, Eau Claire Rivermen, and Osseo Merchants.
North Division (5 teams): Bloomer Fighting Woodticks, Cadott Red Sox, Chippewa Falls Lumberjacks, Jim Falls Sturgeons, and Tilden Tigers.
Old Man Winter put the lumber to us (again) this winter. Yet, like they do every year, the sights and sounds of summer return – whirling baseballs, hot summer nights, freshly cut grass, the crack of the bat………………………..LET’S PLAY BALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!