Lakeshore Chinooks

Lakeshore Chinooks

Team Logo
League Northwoods League (South)
Location Mequon, Wisconsin, U.S.
Ballpark Kapco Park
Year founded 2012
League championships 1 (2014)
Division championships South First Half, 2013; South First Half, Second Half and Playoff, 2014
Colors Lake blue, black, silver, white
Ownership Jim Kacmarcik, John Hammond, Jon Hammes, Dan Laine, Jeff Prochnow, Robin Yount, Carl Claerbout, Scott Roeker, Bob Uecker, Dave Fischer, Tom Multerer, Bill Johnson, Bob Johnson.
Management Dean Rennicke (GM)
Manager Eddie Morgan (2013-Present)
Media Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Website LakeshoreChinooks.com

The Lakeshore Chinooks are a baseball team based in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States and the current defending champions of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Chinooks play their home games at Kapco Park on the campus of Concordia University Wisconsin.

Summer collegiate leagues provide an opportunity for college players to spend their summers and display their talents to professional scouts. Players must be enrolled in college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility to participate. College players gain experience with the opportunity to play under the minor league conditions using wooden bats, minor league specification baseballs, overnight road trips, and playing nightly before fans.

College interns gain experience by handling a number of duties at Chinooks games including ticketing, operations, on-field promotions, and webcast production. Games are webcast via the Northwoods League website.

Chinooks players stay with local host families during the season. More than two dozen local families provide housing.[1]

Ticket prices are $12 reserved box, $9 reserved grandstand, $6 general admission.

History

League Entry

The Lakeshore Chinooks became the seventh Northwoods League team in Wisconsin. Based at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, a northern suburb of Milwaukee, the Chinooks were the first Northwoods League franchise to make its home in a major metropolitan area.

Kapco Park

Kapco Inc., a metal fabrication and stamping company in Grafton, donated $1 million toward completion of the school's new baseball field, named Kapco Park. The donation was part of a $2.7 million fund already allocated for the stadium. Concordia's baseball team uses Kapco Park in the spring.[2]

The Chinooks were the first Northwoods League franchise to make its home on a university campus. Kapco Park acknowledges the Milwaukee Brewers with its outfield dimensions, the last two numbers reflected in famous uniforms - 317 feet in left for Jim Gantner, 344 to left-center for Hank Aaron, 404 to center for Paul Molitor and 319 to right for Robin Yount, who helped design the fence.[3]

In 2012, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) moved the State High School summer baseball tournament to Kapco Park.[4]

Kapco Park hosted the 2014 Northwoods League All-Star Game on July 22, 2014.

2012 Season

The inaugural season began May 30, 2012, vs. the Green Bay Bullfrogs (2-1 Chinooks). The home opener was Monday, June 11, 2012. The team finished with a 35-35 record, 4th place in the South division.[5] 2012 attendance was 46,022.[6]

Launch marketing featured Robin Yount in a series of television spots and included a guest appearance by Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin.

2012 manager was John Vodenlich, the coach at UW-Whitewater.

2013 Season

Eddy Morgan, Head Coach at UW-Superior, managed the Chinooks for the 2013 season. Morgan joined the Chinooks for the inaugural 2012 season as an assistant coach. Prior to UW-Superior, Morgan spent nine seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the College of St. Scholastica. Joining Morgan as an assistant coach was Scott Hood, currently an assistant coach at Kansas. Hood played at South Dakota State University where he also coached for two seasons.

The 16-team Northwoods League celebrated its 20th anniversary season in 2013 with the season opener on Wednesday, May 29. Chinooks home opener was Thursday, May 30 vs. Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Major League Baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, threw the first pitch to Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member and current minority Chinooks owner, Robin Yount.

The 2013 season featured inter-divisional play for the first time since 2009.

The Chinooks finished the 2013 season at 44-26, capturing first place overall in the South division.

The Lakeshore Chinooks were ranked 21st on the Perfect Game Top 50 Summer Collegiate Teams for 2013.

2014 Season

Northwoods League Championship

Eddy Morgan returned to the Chinooks for his second season as Field Manager. Morgan was named the new head coach of the Concordia University-Wisconsin Falcons baseball team in June 2013.

Mark Moriarty returned to the Chinooks coaching staff in 2014. Prior to joining the Chinooks and CUW, the St. Scholastica grad had coaching stints at Concordia St. Paul (2012) and Augustana (2008-2011).

MLB Hall-of-Fame member and Lakeshore Chinooks minority owner Robin Yount's Chinooks Jersey #19 was retired by the team on May 31, 2014.

The Chinooks clinched the first-half South Division championship on the last day of the regular season when Blake Butler hit a walk-off home run to topple the Kenosha Kingfish, 5-4, at Kapco Park.[7] In the second half, the Chinooks became just the third team in league history to accumulate 50 victories, winning the organization's third-straight South Division half title. The team continued its dominance through the playoffs, sweeping the overall South Division second-place Wisconsin Woodchucks two games to none in the Division Playoff to advance to the franchise's first Summer Collegiate World Series. Against the North Division champion Mankato MoonDogs, the Chinooks won the first game of the series in Mankato, 5-4, before returning to Mequon and completing their undefeated run through the playoffs with a 3-0 victory in Game Two to clinch the franchise's first-ever league championship.[8]

Owners Group

The Chinooks' ownership group consists of twelve investors; most notably Jim Kacmarcik, president of Kapco,Inc, Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond, Milwaukee Brewers play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker, and Brewers legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount.[9][10][11]

Player achievements

2012

Forrest Chadwick (Southern Maine University) was the team’s 2012 MVP. Chadwick ended the season with a .301 batting average, 69 hits, 42 runs, 11 home runs, and 52 RBI’s. Forrest was one of three Northwoods League players to have a perfect fielding percentage while committing no errors.

The Chinooks Pitcher of the Year award was given to Joe Greenfield (Eastern Illinois). Greenfield was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 22nd round of the 2012 draft but opted to continue his collegiate playing career. He appeared in 13 games, 7 of those in a starting role, finished the season with a 2.29 ERA and a 5-1 record including one complete game.

The first ever Kapco Steel Slugger Award was awarded to Eric Aguilera (Illinois State). Aguilera finished the season with a .369 batting average, 69 hits, 31 runs, 4 home runs, and 28 RBI’s. Following an appearance in the 2012 All-Star Game, Aguilera’s season was cut short due to injury.

Charlie Markson (Notre Dame) was selected for the Robin Yount Award which goes to the player that exemplified high personal standards both on and off of the field.

The four award recipients were presented with their 2012 awards on Opening Day May 30 during an on-field presentation prior to the game.

Drafted Chinooks Players

2012 MLB Draft: Eric Semmelhack (University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee).[14] Keaton Steele (Missouri) Tampa Bay Rays, 29th round.[15]

2013 MLB Draft: Joe Greenfield was selected by the Minnesota Twins. Josh Uhen (UW-M) who played for the Chinooks in 2012 was selected in the fifth round by the Milwaukee Brewers. Other Chinooks players that had local ties were Cody Yount, the nephew of Robin Yount, selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 37th round and Charlie Markson, Notre Dame, Whitefish Bay High School was drafted in the 38th round by the Brewers.

Complete list of drafted players:

References

  1. ↑ "Northwoods League living makes for unforgettable summers".
  2. ↑ "Concordia gets a $1 million donation, and a baseball team".
  3. ↑ "Chinooks' first season is home run".
  4. ↑ "New summer tournament site wins praise".
  5. ↑ "2012 Overall Standings, South Division".
  6. ↑ "Northwoods 2012 attendance".
  7. ↑ http://northwoodsleague.com/blog/2014/07/01/willmar-lakeshore-first-half-division-champions/
  8. ↑ http://northwoodsleague.com/blog/2014/08/16/lakeshore-wins-first-franchise-championship/
  9. ↑ http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/133020233.html
  10. ↑ http://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/lakeshorechinooks.html?282371
  11. ↑ http://northwoods.bbstats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=120&seasonid=12218
  12. ↑ "Rawlings 'Big Stick' winners announced".
  13. ↑ "Rawlings 'Finest in the Field' Announced".
  14. ↑ "Brewers draft former Oak Creek star".
  15. ↑ "3 local pitchers taken in MLB draft". News Press NOW.

External links

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