Position: Pitcher

Williams Manke

Class of 2011

Pitcher

Cadott Club 1908-09

The CRBL’s embryonic beginnings found nine teams and roughly 200 players marking the rudimentary existence of the “Chippewa Valley League” in 1908 and 1909.  From this era, right-hander Williams Manke of the Cadott Club will be remembered as the lone Hall of Famer.

Manke’s induction is due largely to his trailblazing pitching feats, but also in part to his conspicuous existence in league play.  On July 9th of 1908, the Eau Claire Leader reported that Manske had been “signed” by the Cadott Club from the Eau Claire Tigers of the amateur Western Wisconsin League.  In his first recorded start for Cadott, Williams lost a tough 1-0 contest to the league rival Eau Claire Badgers in which he allowed just 2 hits.  One week later, he shutout the same Badgers 2-0 on a 6-hitter.  The righty finished the 1908 CVL season with a 4 and 3 record in 61 innings with a 2.07 ERA, 1 shutout, and 46 strikeouts.

In what would turn out to be the CRBL/CVL’s last go around until 1927, Manke shined in the controversial season of 1909.  A reported spitball artist, Williams used his specialty to garner the league’s first pitching triple crown, leading the young circuit with marks of 10 wins, 117 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.56.  His totals of 123 innings, a .714 winning percentage, and 2 shutouts were also CVL leading totals.

On July 18th of 1909, Manke spun the first no-hitter in CRBL history, doing it against the Colfax Skidoos in Cadott.  Described as the “best twirler in the league” (Eau Claire Leader, Aug. 29, 1909) this gem highlighted the spitballer’s dominant year in which he accounted for every one of his team’s 10 wins and 4 losses.  The strength of Manke’s effort propelled the Cadott Club to a disputed Chippewa Valley League championship.  Managed by Doc Cunnigham, a well known baseball promoter of that day, Manke and his teammates were accused of being on a payroll as well as counting a Manke pitched 3-1 loss to the Eau Claire Giants simply as an exhibition, thus allowing them to capture the flag by a half game over the 10 and 5 Menomonie Blue Caps.  Over 100 years later, the “famous Cadott team” (Eau Claire Leader, Aug. 4, 1909) is still viewed as the 1909 Chippewa Valley League champ.

Any chance Manke had of making a deeper mark on the league record book was eliminated with the inexplicable disappearance of the CVL from 1910 to 1926.  Nonetheless, the spitballing righty did enough to be remembered as the biggest star of 1908 and 1909, as well as one of the greats in CRBL history.

Mike Meindel

Class of 2010

Pitcher, Outfielder

Bloomer Blackhawks 1968-78; Bloomer Merchants 1980

The path of Mike Meindel’s 12 seasons in league play saw him roar on to the amateur baseball landscape as an iron-armed strikeout machine before developing into an efficient part-time starter.  At the plate, he remained an extra base threat and run producer throughout his career.

In his rookie summer of 1968, Meindel went 3 and 4 while striking out 54 batters in 57 innings to go along with a 3.00 ERA.  These solid but uneventful numbers gave little indication of what was soon to follow.  In 1969, the right-handed Meindel would log a league high 145 innings with a 9 and 6 record, a 3.10 ERA, and the mammoth, still unbroken season record of 180 strikeouts.  In accumulating this staggering total,  Meindel pitched in 18 of the Bloomer Blackhawks’ 19 games that season, notching 9 games of double digit strikeouts with a game high of 19 punch-outs verse the Wheaton Warhawks in an 11-inning, 4-3 Bloomer win.

This began a prodigious four year period in which Mike would lead the league in innings pitched (145 IP in 1969, 87 IP in 1970, 125.1 IP in 1971, and 130 IP in 1972) and strikeouts (180 K’s in 1969, 99 K’s in 1970, 141 K’s in 1971, and 137 K’s in 1972).  During this time frame, Mike would also lead the league in wins with 9 in 1970, winning percentage at .900 in 1972, shutouts with 2 in 1971, and tie for the league lead in wins with 10 in 1971.  A summative look at 1969 to 1972 shows Meindel averaging 121.2 innings pitched, 9 wins, and 139 strikeouts with an accumulative ERA of 3.12.  The righty would then win 10 games in 1972, coinciding with his first sub-3.00 ERA mark of a 2.77.

For the remainder of Meindel’s career, his workload would be diminished but not his effectiveness.  A 4 and 2 mark in 1973 came with a career low 2.28 ERA during 47.1 innings pitched with 68 strikeouts and 2 saves.  In weaving a streak of five consecutive seasons with a sub 3.00 ERA, Meindel capped it off with a 2.91 ERA in 21.1 IP in 1974, a 2.83 ERA during 28.2 innings in 1975, and a 2.79 ERA in 42 innings worked in 1976.

Meindel’s dominance during those years coincided with the Blackhawks lone WBA appearance, as Bloomer made the tourney in 1970.  In 1971, Meindel’s 10 and 4 season and 141 whiffs launched the Bloomer Blackhawks to their lone championship game bout, where they lost a tough 2-0 decision to Tilden despite Mike’s complete game effort in which he allowed 5 hits and K’d 5 Tigers.

As a regular in the Bloomer line-up, Meindel was a consistent threat to reach a gap or hit a long ball, as shown by his career total of 10 triples which is currently tied for 4th all-time.  Offensively, his best year came in 1971 when he hit on career highs of 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 13 RBI’s.

An All-Star game participant in 1970, 1971, and 1972, Meindel was named All-CRBL as a pitcher in 1972, one of just two years the league gave such an honor before it became a yearly tradition in 1978.

Upon induction, Mike ranks 7th in ERA, 8th in strikeouts, 9th in innings pitched, 13th in K’s per 9 innings pitched, and tied for 11th in wins.

Jeff Lawler

Class of 2010

Outfielder, Pitcher

Lafayette Indians 1975-88; Bloomer Merchants 1989-91

            An extremely potent hitter, solid fielder, and serviceable pitcher, Jeff Lawler was a dedicated and respected ballplayer whose family name was synonymous with league events and winning baseball throughout the righty’s 17-season CRBL career.

A participant in eight All-Star games (1981, 1983-87, 1989, 1990) he was also a member of five All-CRBL teams (1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984).  The lanky, right-handed swinging Lawler hit over .300 in 12 seasons, with a career high of .455 (30 of 66) in 1984.  In total, Lawler registered five .400 campaigns, as he also hit .449 in 1978 (31 for 69), .415 in 1979 (27 for 65), .437 in 1983 (31 for 71), and .411 in 1987 (23 for 56).

With this productivity came several league-leading marks, the first of which came in 1978 when Jeff’s 31 hits tied for the league high while leading hitters outright with 8 doubles.  In 1979, he trumped the CRBL in two-baggers again, this time with 7.  Fast forward to 1983, his effort of .437 yielded league leading totals of 31 hits, 8 homeruns, and 20 runs scored while driving in a career high 22 runs.  For a follow up in 1984, Lawler’s totals of 30 hits and 66 at-bats set the pace for CRBL hitters.

Of course, Lawler’s accomplishments at the dish became one of the main ingredients in the Indians’ recipe for winning play.  Playing primarily out of family run Lawler’s Field, the Tribe from Lafayette won a league championship in 1976, four Southern titles (1976, 1978, 1985, 1988), qualified for 10 WBA tournaments (1976-78, 1980-83, 1985, 1987-88), and battled to two Final 8’s (1977 and 1978).

Once the Indians departed from league play after 1988, Jeff concluded his career with the  Bloomer Merchants.  In Bloomer, Lawler capped off a run of 10 straight .300+ seasons by hitting .333 in 1989 (14 for 42) and .358 in 1990 (19 for 53).

Throughout his time in the CRBL, Lawler doubled as a spot pitcher who exceeded 30 innings in a season 7 times and 40 innings twice, with a high of 49 in 1986.  In the 1984 season that saw him hit a career high .455, he also went a personal best 4 and 2 from the mound in 39 innings pitched.

Upon induction, his all-time rankings include being tied for 12th in doubles, tied for 16th in RBI’s, alone at 14th in batting average, 15th for hits, total bases at 17th, and slugging percentage at 14th. (Biographical information amended, 2018)

Jim Landry

Class of 2010

Pitcher, 3rd Baseman

Cadott Lions 1953-56; Cadott Red Sox 1957-59, 61-62

          The consensus among those who saw Jim Landry play is basic but telling — the Cadott native was one of the best hitting and pitching talents to ever partake in league competition.

Landry broke into the league as a 16 year-old, hitting .320 (16 for 50) for the Cadott Lions.  This was the first of five seasons in which he would bat over .300 as a regular, with his career best coming in 1962 when he stroked a .379 average (22 for 58) during his last go around in league play.

The supernova of Landry’s talents took place in 1957.  For the fledgling Cadott Red Sox, the right-hander flourished in the extended, once a week schedule format.  In piling up 146.1 innings pitched, Landry whiffed 173 batters in going 14 and 3 with a 3.26 ERA.  His K total led the league outright, while his 14 wins set him as a co-leader with Cornell’s Marty Webster.  Moreover, the 14 win total by Landry and Webster is still standing as a single season league record.

From the batter’s box in 1957, Landry hit .333 (27 for 81) while hammering out 7 home runs, 27 RBI’s, and scoring 24 runs.  Of course, Jim’s standout season coincided with the Red Sox winning an outright title with a 15 and 3 league mark.

None of his offensive totals from 1957 were league highs, although Landry did turn that trick with 14 base on balls in 1958 and 1962, as well as 17 runs scored in his fine 1962 campaign, in which he hit the aforementioned .379.

The righty’s dominance from the mound continued in 1958.  For the 10 and 0, South Division champion Red Sox, Landry sat down 99 batters in 72 innings while leading the then Chippewa Valley League with an 8 and 0 record, 1.63 ERA, and co-leading total of 2 shutouts.  On May 18th of that spring, Jim threw his first of two no-hitters, a 10-0, 9-inning victory over Seymour.

In 1959, Landry’s 5 and 1 record, 53 innings pitched, 85 K’s, and a 1.87 ERA were highlighted by his second, 9-inning no-hitter.  This one came against Boyd on June 7th in another 10-0 Red Sox win.  In the long and winding history of the CRBL, Landry still stands as the only pitcher to throw two 9-inning no-hitters in league competition.

Missing all of 1960 due to military service, Jim returned midway through 1961 to go 1 and 0 in 15 innings with a 0.60 ERA and tie for the league lead in saves with 1.

In Landry’s last season of league play in 1962, his memorable offensive season was augmented by a pitching mark of 4 and 2 with 64 K’s and a 3.65 ERA in 49.1 innings, helping to push Cadott to a second division title and its first birth in the WBA’s Final 8.

A strong validation of Landry’s talents came in early August of 1958, when the Chicago White Sox offered him a contract to pitch at their single-A affiliate in Toronto.  After strong consideration, Jim declined the offer.

Participated in five All-Star games (1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1962).  During his six seasons, Landry played on one league champ, two division winners, three WBA qualifiers, and one Final 8 squad.

Upon induction, Jim’s highest all-time ranking can be found in ERA where he is 4th.  He is also holding steady at 5th for strikeouts per nine innings pitched, and 7th for winning percentage.

Dick Krumenauer

Class of 2010

Pitcher, 3rd Baseman

Lafayette Generals 1964; Lafayette Indians 1965-68, 73-74, 76-78

Tough, big, and intimidating.  Among his contemporaries, these are the words still used to describe Dick Krumenauer.  The whipping, three-quarter style delivery employed by the big righty enhanced an already lively fastball and put him on the path of mowing down opposing hitters at a rate never seen — and still unmatched — throughout league history.

Used as both a starter and reliever for Lafayette, “Krummy” was a strikeout monster, averaging an all-time best 14.29 K’s per nine innings during his 11-year league career.  He efficiently eclipsed the century mark four times in whiffs, doing so in 1966 (111 K’s in 65.1 IP), 1967 (122 K’s in 68.2 IP), 1968 (133 K’s in 73.2 IP), and 1976 (133 K’s in 82.1 IP).  His strikeout totals in 1967 and 1976 led the league, as did his innings total from 1976.  Krumenauer also set the pace with the totals of 7 wins in 1967, a 1.71 ERA in 1974, and a 1.53 ERA in 1976.  On his way to collecting 16 career saves — the 2nd highest all-time mark in league play — Dick led the league or tied for the league lead in saves five times, with a personal best of 4 in 1968.

His unblemished 6 and 0 league record in 1974 coincided with the Indians’ 12 and 0 league season, which at that point, was only the 6th time in league history that a team had finished the regular season undefeated.

Krumenauer’s greatest season came in 1976, when his arm and bat led the Indians to a WBA birth and their only league championship in the 24-year existence of the team.  While hitting .308 (16 for 52) with 2 homeruns and 12 RBI’s, Krumemauer was a force on the hill.  For the 10 and 4 tribe, he went 6 and 1 in 82.1 innings pitched with 133 K’s, a 1.53 ERA, and 3 saves.  In that year‘s title game, Krummy spaced nine hits, struck out 11, and laced a double within a nine-inning complete game effort for the Indians as they finally tamed the Tigers, 4-3 at Tilden.

The searing dominance that Krumenauer unleashed from the hill was never more evident than on June 2nd, 1976.  During that night’s 7-2 Indians’ victory over the Chippewa Prides, Dick struck out 25 batters in the 9-inning contest.  Over 30 seasons later, Krummy’s mark of 25 punch-outs still stands as a single game CRBL record.

With Dick in the fold, the Tribe from apple country won division titles in 1966, 1974, 1976, and 1978, qualified for the WBA in 1966, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, and 1978, and ran to the Final 8 in 1977 and 1978.

In six of his nine seasons as a regular pitcher, Dick had a sub-3.00 ERA.  In three of those years (1968,1976,1979), he was below the 2.00 mark.  Consequently, he checks in at 4th all-time in ERA.  In addition to his #2 ranking in saves, he is in the top 10 for strikeouts at #7.

Participated in five All-Star games (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1973).  Named All-CRBL in 1974, one of the two seasons the award was given before it became a yearly institution in 1978.

John Harings

Class of 2010

Pitcher, 1st Baseman

Tilden Tigers 1946-54, 56, 58-59; Tilden Terrors 1960-61

As part of a seemingly continuous line of memorable hurlers to take the field for Tilden, John Harings can be viewed as the first long-term standout from both the pitcher’s mound and the batter’s box in CRBL history.

Establishing himself as a consummate innings eater, the right-handed Harings led the league with a career high 131.1 innings pitched in 1948.  In that same season, the righty also led the league with 11 wins and 155 strikeouts while posting a 3.29 ERA and earning a decision in each of Tilden’s 15 league games.

For the 13 and 1 North Division winning Tigers in 1950, Harings was the difference.  Striking out 124 batters in 112 innings, he led the league with 2 shutouts and 12 wins against just 1 defeat.  In 1951, he captured his lone ERA crown with a 2.63 mark, going 8 and 2 in 92.1 innings with 99 strikeouts for the 16 and 3 league runner-up Tigers.  This capped an iron man start to his career in which he averaged 8 wins, 102 innings pitched, and 107 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.41 ERA during his first six league seasons.  John’s other league leading totals came in saves three times (1946,1956,1958) and shutouts two more times (1947 and 1950).

With the bat, Harings hit over .300 in four of his fourteen seasons (1948,1949,1953,1961), with his career high of .391 (18 for 46) occurring in 1961.  In the process of logging 199 career hits, John led the league with 19 knocks in 1949, 3 homeruns in 1953, and tied for the league lead in doubles with 5 and triples with 2 in 1948.

Participated in two All-Star games (1950 and 1951).  One of the main cogs in Tilden‘s ascension to league dominance, Harings played on two division winners (1950 and 1960), one league champion (1949), and one WBA qualifier (1960).

Upon induction, John’s highest all-time rankings are that of 7th in innings pitched, 9th in wins, and 9th in strikeouts.  Offensively, Harings has the most 5-hit games in league history with 3.

Jerome Gerrits

Class of 2010

Pitcher

Boyd 1940-41; Ludington 1952; Boyd Bees 1953-54

Jerome “Chief” Gerrits had the misfortune of seeing his promising amateur baseball career halted by World War II, as league play and area baseball almost entirely disappeared during the war years of 1942 to 1945.  Nonetheless, the dominance exhibited by the venerable lefty over half a century ago still resonates strongly in the CRBL’s ledger.

Pitching for upstart Boyd in 1940, Chief’s first year in league play saw him lead the loop with 124.1 innings pitched, a 1.95 ERA, tie for the league lead with 10 wins, and set a since matched single season record of 4 shutouts.  For good measure, he struck out 162 batters in fueling the Boyd team to a 10 and 4 record and a birth in that year’s league championship series verse the Bloomer Pines.  Hurling 1-0 shutouts in the opener and the game 3 clincher, Gerrits almost single-handily staked Boyd to a league title in the team’s first year of circuit play.

For an encore, Chief topped that performance in 1941 when he won the pitcher’s triple crown (wins, ERA, and strikeouts) by going 10 and 0 in 88 frames with a 0.92 ERA, 137 strikeouts, and 3 shutouts.  Gerrits’ 10 wins accounted for each one of Boyd’s victories that year as they captured their second consecutive title in outright fashion with an unblemished 10-0 record in what would be their last year of league play.  During this sterling campaign, the Chief amassed a streak of 49 consecutive scoreless innings, a mark that still stands as a CRBL record.

Playing in area leagues after World War II, Jerome returned to the Chippewa Valley League with Ludington in 1952.  Logging a 4.27 ERA in 66 innings, Chief tied for the league lead with 7 wins while losing only one decision.  From the batter’s box, Gerrits rapped 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and 12 RBI’s while scoring 14 runs and compiling a personal league best .360 batting average.  Chief’s clutch play helped lead Ludington to its only division title during the franchise’s seven seasons of league competition.

In 1953, he came back to Boyd to pitch for the Bees.  Re-emerging as an ace, Gerrits went 7 and 1 with a 3.96 ERA in 72.2 innings pitched as the Bees won their only division title and qualified for their lone WBA tournament in their four year league existence.

During a part-time role in 1954, Chief went 1 and 0 with a 3.79 ERA in 19 innings while leading the league in shutouts with 1.

Although his time in CRBL history was relatively short, it is apparent that Chief Gerrits was a relied upon, dominant difference maker.  Out of his five years in league play, Chief’s teams won a division title four times and staked a league title twice.

The success Gerrits helped create is on display in his #1 all-time ranking in career winning percentage.  Upon induction, he is also ranked 3rd all-time in ERA, 5th in shutouts, and 8th in strikeouts per nine innings.

Jim Prince

Inaugural Class of 2009

Pitcher

Cooks Valley Valleymen 1932-35; Bloomer City Team 1938-40; Tilden Tigers 1947,49-51

During his first four seasons of league play, Jim Prince was the leader or tied for the leading mark in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched, and shutouts.  In other words, Prince won the triple crown of pitching (wins, strikeouts, ERA) an unparalleled four seasons in a row.  The dust that has gathered on this accomplishment can be removed in recognizing that only one other pitcher in league history (Tom Dachel, 1977 and 1980) has copped this feat more than once.

Hurling for the Cooks Valley Valleymen from 1932 to 1935, Prince was a dominant workhorse, averaging over 10 wins, 125 strikeouts, and 111 innings pitched with an ERA of 2.50.

1935 marked the peak of his powers, as he went 14 and 3 in 145 innings while whiffing 163 batters and garnering a 2.30 ERA with 2 shutouts.

After a two year hiatus, Jim came back to pitch for the Bloomer City Team from 1938 to 1940.  He led the league in innings pitched with 87 in 1939 while going 6 and 6 with a 4.14 ERA.  He had his last stellar season in 1940 when he won 7 and lost 1 with an ERA of 2.66, 75 strikeouts, 71 innings pitched, and a league leading .875 winning percentage.

After another departure from league play, this time for six years, Prince came back in 1947 with the Tilden Tigers to twirl the league’s 5th no-hitter, a 9-inning 7-0 victory over the Huron Moundsmen.  Finished that year a solid 2 and 1 in 38 innings pitched with an ERA of 3.55 while tying for the league lead with 1 shutout.  Missing 1948, Jim finished his career as a part-time pitcher with the Tigers from 1949 to 1951.

Playing nearly all of his career before the advent of yearly All-Star games, All-CRBL recognition, and the WBA tournament, the glow of Jim Prince’s dominance is reenergized when looking at the marks he left on the CRBL’s record book.  Nearly 60 years after his last game of league play, Prince is still holding rank at 7th in wins, 10th in winning percentage, 10th in innings pitched, 10th in strikeouts, 5th in ERA, and is tied for 8th in shutouts.

Vic Johnson

Inaugural Class of 2009

Pitcher

Eau Claire Skelly Oilers 1938; Girard’s Hillbillies 1939; Leif’s Conoco Oilers 1953

Simply put, Vic Johnson is the only person in CRBL history to have played in the Major Leagues, doing so with the Boston Red Sox in 1944 and 1945 as well as the Cleveland Indians in 1946.

Playing in what at the time was called the Chippewa Valley Rural League, the left-handed Johnson’s time in league history was brief but memorable.  In 1938, he tied for the league lead in wins (7) and saves (1), while leading the league with a 1.000 percentage (7-0) for the league champion, 12 and 2 Eau Claire Skelly Oilers.  In 1939, he led the league with a 1.91 ERA (7 ER in 33 IP) and authored the third no-hitter in CRBL history, a 10-3 nine-inning job vs. Jim Falls while hurling for Girard’s Hillbillies.

After bouncing between area teams and leagues over the next few seasons, Johnson was signed by the Eau Claire Bears in 1942.  Pitching at a level roughly equivalent to single A, he went 18 and 7 in 1942, making the Northern League’s all-star team.  In 1943, he went a combined 17 and 12 between stops in Louisville, KY and Scranton, PA as he again made an all-star team, this time in the American Association.  His promising development prompted a call-up to the Red Sox of Boston in 1944, where he debuted against the Yankees on May 3rd in a 11-7 Red Sox loss.  He finished his rookie season with a 0-3 record in 7 appearances, 5 games started, and 27.1 innings pitched with 7 strikeouts and a 6.26 ERA.

In 1945, for a 71 and 83 Boston team that finished in 7th place, Vic emerged as one of the main components on the Red Sox pitching staff.  In 26 appearances and 9 starts, Johnson was 6 and 4 with 4 complete games, 2 saves, 1 shutout, 85 innings pitched, 21 strikeouts, and a 4.02 ERA.

The zenith of his pitching career occurred on August 29th, 1945 when he threw a 1-0 shutout  against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.  Incredibly, he threw 16 consecutive scoreless innings against a Yanks team that year which included Major League Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Joe Gordon, and Bill Dickey.

In 1946, Vic was unexpectedly traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for pitcher Jim Bagby and cash.  For the 6th place Tribe, he was 0-1 in 9 appearances, 1 start, and 13.2 innings pitched with 3 K’s and a 9.22 ERA.  He would be sent to the minors by mid-season, with his last game in the majors being on June 11th, 1946.  Johnson would spend over two more years successfully pitching in the minor leagues, in the process notching a no-hitter vs. future Brooklyn Dodger all-star Carl Erskine on May 28th, 1948.  Vic’s 13 and 7 mark from the mound that summer would count as the last tally on his professional resume.

A finesse pitcher who relied on locating his sinker and curveball, Vic Johnson’s final major league numbers are that of 42 appearances, 6 wins, 8 losses, 15 games started, 4 complete games, 2 saves, 126 innings pitched, 152 hits allowed, 60 walks, 31 strikeouts, 1 shutout, and an ERA of 5.07.  During his seven seasons as a minor leaguer, he won 68 games against 58 setbacks for a winning percentage of .540 while piling up 1,012 innings in 215 pitching appearance, 53 as a starter.

Post-professional baseball found Vic playing and managing on several area teams before returning to league play for one season in 1953 with Leif’s Conoco Oilers out of Eau Claire.  As their player/manager, Johnson threw just 2 innings while guiding the young group to an 8-3 record and assisting in the process of getting several Oiler players signed to professional contracts.

Jim Hoepner

Inaugural Class of 2009

Pitcher, Outfielder

Chippewa Prides 1975-77; Lafayette Lakers 1978-83; Chippewa Falls Lumberjacks 1983-97

A right-handed pitcher, Jim Hoepner used pinpoint control, a sharp curveball, and an unrepentant competitive nature to capture a league record 109 wins during a long and very successful 23-year career.

Despite facing batters swinging metal bats in the hitter friendly parks of Lafayette and Chippewa’s Cardinal Field, Hoepner carved out eight seasons with an ERA of under 3.00.  His low water mark came in 1984, when he led the league with a stifling 1.13 in 55.2 innings.  Set the pace two other years with a 1.73 ERA in 1979 (73 innings) and a 1.98 mark in 1983 (72.1 innings).  In addition to leading the league in ERA three times, he was a strikeout champ twice with totals of 77 in 1985 and 60 in 1991.  Also posted sub-2.00 ERA’s in 1980 (1.94 in 55.2 innings) and 1981 (1.98 in 54.2 innings).  His total of five seasons with an ERA beneath 2.00 is an unmatched league record.

From 1978 to 1991, his seasonal averages were 7 wins, 70 innings thrown, 58 strikeouts, and an accumulative ERA of 2.88.  These totals would have made for a great season, let alone for a 14-year period of being a depended upon ace.

Holds the all-time record for shutouts with 19, leading the league or tying for the league lead in shutouts during seven seasons.  His career high of 4 shutouts in 1984 is tied for the single season mark.

In becoming one of only two pitchers to break the 1,000 inning barrier, Hoepner led the CRBL in this area in 1986 with 80 innings, 1987 with 69 frames, and in 1991 when he notched 78 innings.

On his way to a seemingly unbreakable mark of 109 league wins, Jim was the leader in that category during four years.  His career high of 10 wins against just 1 loss in 1987 tied for the league high.  Also tied for the lead with 6 wins in 1985.  Led the loop outright in 1984 with 8 victories and in 1991 with 7 wins.

Made a habit of helping himself at the plate, gathering 230 hits in 786 at-bats for a career batting average of .293.  Popped out 16 homeruns (high of 4 in 1986) and 51 doubles (high of 6 in 1985).  As a regular, Jim hit .300 or better twelve times, hitting a peak of .432 in 1984 (19 for 44).

A member of six division winners, five league champions, 18 WBA qualifiers, and five Final 8 teams, Hoepner was the unquestioned big game pitcher for the Prides, Lakers, and Lumberjacks.  In his six championship game appearances for the ‘Jacks, Jim was 4 and 1 in 42 innings with 14 strikeouts, 6 walks, 1 save, and an ERA of 4.50.  His complete game shutout in the Lumberjacks’ 12-0 victory over Hallie in the 1987 CRBL title game was an example of his determined pitching style.  In that performance, Jim scattered 10 hits, struck out 1, and did not walk an Eagle batter.

One of only three pitchers in CRBL history to throw two no-hitters, Hopener claimed the 17th and 18th in league play while pitching for Lafayette.  Notched his first as a Laker in a 9-inning, 12-0 decision in 1979 vs. the Jim Falls Sturgeons.  His second came against Tilden in a 1-0, 7-inning gem in 1980.  Combined with fellow Lumberjack Steve Nelson in 1986 to throw one of the four shared no-hitters in league history with a 6-inning, 12-0 win vs. the Cadott Red Sox.

Elected All-CRBL as a pitcher eight times (1979, 1981, 1983-1985, 1987, 1991, 1995) and Honorable Mention three times (1986,1988,1989).  Participated in five All-Star games (1980,1983,1987,1994,1995).