Tilden Tigers

Incredible!!! One word that describes our 2023 season. To be crowned WBA State Champions and bring the title back to Tilden and the CRBL is as rewarding as it gets. We want to first and foremost thank our dedicated fans for all their support throughout the year. We have been a very successful franchise since Day 1, and it all piggy backs off the support that we get year in and year out. To our local sponsors, you are the real MVP’s. As we all know, there are quite a few essentials to make a season happen with the cost of equipment, field rentals, umpires, concession costs, the list goes on and on. Without the local community, none of this would be possible.

We are very optimistic and excited to get the 2024 season under way. We would like to give a special shout out to a couple of longtime Tilden Tigers who have decided to ride off into the sunset.

First and foremost, Alex Ruf (2015-2023). Alex started off his CRBL career playing for the Jim Falls Sturgeons (2012-2014). After some coaxing and a WBA call up offer to play with us in Haugen one year, he was sold on the history and was ready to make a move to the Tilden Tigers. Alex was a lock down 2nd basemen and was one of the fastest guys the league has seen in years. Alex finishes his career at the top of the CRBL for career stolen bases. He was a huge asset on the managerial side of things. He was always willing to put his coaching input in and help make game time decisions. As years progressed, he never skipped a beat to help raise money, clean and stock concession stands, get the field ready for games, and take over any task that was needed. Alex’s most memorable moment as a Tiger was his go ahead home run in Whitehall against Scott Hovell, which ended up being his 2nd HR of the day. This helped the Tigers sweep the Wolves for the first time in many years. We cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for this franchise and wish him nothing but the best.

GP -176
AVG. – .283
AB – 533
H -151
1B – 120
2B – 25
3B – 2
HR – 4
RBI – 104
R -189, 37th all-time
SB – 86, 8th all time
BB -112
TB – 192
SLB. – .360
OBP. – .432, 45th all time
OPS – .792
All-CRBL in 2018 at 2B
Honorable Mention All-CRBL in 2019 at 2B
CRBL All-Star in 2013, 18,19,21
led the CRBL in SB with 21 in 2013

Second player that we would like to recognize is Carl Krumenauer (2017-2023). Carl was an asset to our franchise the second he graduated high school. You could find Carl mostly on the mound in a lot of our key matchups. Carl pitched in multiple regional tournament games as well as multiple state tournament games. He was a key factor in helping us advance every year. When it came to being a teammate, there weren’t many that were better. Even in games he did not pitch or play, you would find him coaching first base and making sure that he was always ready. Carl’s most memorable game as a Tigers was pitching in a state semifinal game and getting the win against a stacked Viroqua team a few years back. Carl is going to be truly missed and we wish him nothing but the best for his future endeavors with his family.

IP – 193.1
ERA – 3.31
W-L = 24-5
W% – .828
K – 107
K/P – 4.98
SV – 1
SHO -3
Honorable mention All-CRBL as a pitcher in 2018
CRBL All-Star in 2019
Tied for the CRBL lead in wins with 8 in 2019

With that being said, we would like to give you a little sneak peek into the 2024 season. A majority of our team will be returning from last years State Championship team. Our lineup and pitching rotation will be the backbone to our team. Averaging a whopping 9.5 Runs/Game with a team ERA of 2.26, we will look to keep pace with these in the upcoming season.

The CRBL League MVP Tanner Halvorson will be back and ready for another shot at defending that title. He ended the season with a .532 Avg, 22 singles, 13 doubles, and 6 homeruns, added 40 RBIs, with an OPS of 1.520. Not only could he hit, he had some pretty stellar pitching numbers as well. In just 34IP, he struck out 40 guys while allowing 0 ER all year.

PJ Lequia will look to defend his title as the CRBL Utility man. PJ worked his tail off in the offseason in the cage and it sure paid off. With a season ending .484 Avg and a homerun to his name, he will be ready to swing the stick in the upcoming season. On top of hitting, we have another 2-way guy as PJ has been our bonified ace from the beginning. We are all excited to see what this season brings from him.

Our unsung hero and kid that would not like any recognition will be back and ready to defend the title, Jordan Steinmetz. I think it goes without a doubt that he is one of the hardest outs to get in the state. We are extremely excited to have him back with the boys and get the season under way.

Jon Schoch and Cole Zwiefelhofer will round out the crew of Veterans that every team needs. We will rely heavily on their knowledge of the game, as well as their physical attributes that we all know each of them will bring game in and game out.

We hope you all are just as excited as we are for the upcoming season. Once again, our home games will be played at Casper Park, in Chippewa Falls, WI. Here is to a safe and successful season. We look forward to enjoying a few “sodas” with you all shortly. Go Tigers!!!!!

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Sponsors

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Casper Park – Chippewa Falls, WI

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