Hall of Fame. In 1953 he was awarded the annual Claire Raith trophy for all around baseball ability, character, and sportsmanship on and off the field. In 1988 Pavela served as Festmaster of the La Crosse Oktoberfest, and in 1990 he was named a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Interested organizations can contact Carley Sanfilippo by email at csanfilippo@wihalloffame.com or by phone at 414.507.6197. In 1996 the WBCA named him their Man of the Year. He spent seven seasons in the Angels minor league system where he posted 10 wins and 41 saves with 313 strikeouts in 486.2 innings. There were no girls sports when she attended Arcadia High School, where she graduated in 1946, but she coached in a summer softball league and played neighborhood pickup games with the boys. He was promoted to Joplin the following year where he compiled a 20-4 record with 161 strikeouts in 196 innings, earning him league MVP honors over his teammate, Mickey Mantle. Craig Kusick was inducted into the UWL Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010. Wuest served two terms as La Crosse county sheriff in the 1960s and worked thirty years at Electric AutoLite, never losing his passion for local sports. Ghelfi is the father of five children, two of whom also played baseball professionally. During that time he managed several professional players, including La Crosse Area Baseball Hall of Famers Chuck Hockenberry and Everett Johnson. After high school Babe served in the army during WWII. He was promoted to Joplin the following year where he compiled a 20-4 record with 161 . Nehring started his career by going 13-6 with a 3.49 ERA at class D Fond du Lac in the Wisconsin State League. After three years with the Braves, Konetchy was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers before the 1919 season. Craig Kusick was born on September 30, 1948 in Milwaukee. When the hitting barrage ended, he had collected ten consecutive hits, tying a record set in 1897 that would stand until 1952, and is still the second most consecutive hits in MLB history. #WSL Lee Wetenkamp. During his tenure the Golden Gophers made seven NCAA tournament appearances. He also tied his career-high with three home runs. The wise investment of the proceeds of the sale grew into the endowment that she provided for local baseball. He also guided his teams to 23 regional titles, 18 MVC championships, and 24 city championships. His first hit was a pinch hit grand slam. From the time he joined the Packers in 2000 through the end of the 2004 season, Green gained more yards from scrimmage (9,036) and rushing yards (6,848) than any other player in the NFL. Keep up to date on everything happening in the Wisconsin State League by following the league online on Facebook,Twitter,andInstagram. One of his teammates at Decatur was his Aquinas High School teammate Dick Ghelfi. In addition to baseball, Thornton also coached basketball, football, and both boys and girls skiing. In 1987 he was the first recipient of the United States Baseball Federation Volunteer Amateur Coach award, and in 2000 he received the WBCA Distinguished Service Award. After World War II she settled in La Crosse, first working as a clerk at Trane Company, then starting a restaurant on the Trane campus. Among other teams, he played for the La Crosse Mohawks, the Spring Grove City team (as one of only two paid players) and the La Crescent City team. With the tournament field down to its final three teams, rain Sunday morning and throughout the day made the field unplayable, canceling the remainder of the tournament. READ MORE. Tables will be filled in on a first-paid, first-position order within the category of support donated. Box 32 Servais played college baseball at Creighton University, where his head coach was former Cubs GM Jim Hendry. He guided the girls ski team to the 1979 state championship. Randy Wilke. Registration is now open for the 2022 Wisconsin State League Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner. The demands of the Skogens growing grocery business eventually forced Dave out of an active role in baseball, but his love for the sport never faded. She was named to the 1949 All Star team on the strength of her 17- 6 record, which included seven shutouts. The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) has announced the members of its 2022 Hall of Fame class. In 1999 Dee took over the head coaching position at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Fingers led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first playoff appearance in 1981 and received the American League Most Valuable Player Awards and Cy Young Award. 17:30 22:30. Thornton was twice named the Wisconsin baseball coach of the year (1980 and 1986) and in 1999 became the first recipient of the La Crosse Tribunes Sportsperson of the Year award. %PDF-1.6 % He umpired for more than twenty years for the Stars of Tomorrow tournaments and the Minnesota State Legion tournament. The event will take place on Saturday, October 29 at Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sheboygan, WI. He impressed the scout and signed a free agent contract with the California Angels. He pitched for Mabel and Houston teams in Minnesota, winning 13 of his teams 17 games one season. After his junior season, Schmidt was selected with the 29th overall pick by the California Angels in the first round of the 1992 MLB Amateur draft. He got his only post season experience with the Cubs in 1998, and made the most of it, getting two hits in three at bats. He coached over 125 players who went on to play baseball at the collegiate level, ten of whom signed professional contracts. Address: Pavela was recognized as a talented ballplayer at a young age. Also inducted will be Dave Johnson, a baseball player who had played with the Eau Claire Cavaliers for 18 years, and managed the legion team for 13 years. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Aquinas High School, graduating in 1952. He was also involved in the early organization of the Stars of Tomorrow tournament. The Eau Claire Baseball History Committee will induct 2 new members into its Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the schools athletic hall of fame in 2003. Konetchy and Cardinals manager Roger Bresnahan led the rescue effort, carrying several passengers to safety. He was employed as a birddog scout for the St. Louis Cardinals for a time beginning in the early 1970s. hb``a``Z $>2F fah@b$&&{xFMXvlF.I Ed Konetchy died from heart disease on May 27, 1947. OTBA Hall of Fame Inductees picture taken at Miller Park.) The Wisconsin State League's 2021 Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner is taking place tonight at Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sheboygan, WI. Ted Simmons (2020) The eight-time all-star during his 21-year career was twice so honored during his five years with the Brewers (1981-85). Saturday, April 1, 2023 Jerry Augustine was inducted into the UW-La Crosse Wall of Fame in 1984 and the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor in 2014. The Skogens gifted the artificial turf infield in 2014, which has made it possible to play baseball on a daily basis at Copeland Park. Mike Dee was born in 1953, and grew up in the Chicago area until his family moved to La Crosse before his senior year in high school. Sheboygan, WI 53082-0032, 2023 Wisconsin State Baseball League. Ghelfi advanced to the next level as a standout player at Central High School, where he was coached by La Crosse Area Hall of Famers Frank Thornton and Jay Buckley. He will be inducted on Jan. 27 at league's 12th Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner at Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center. Sheboygan, WI 53082-0032, 2023 Wisconsin State Baseball League. That year he batted only .249, resulting in a reduced contract offer from management, spurring him to sign with the Pittsburgh Stogies of the Federal League. With a 5-3 victory over Kenosha Tuesday night, the As have advanced to the second round of the Wisconsin State Leagues step-ladder playoffs. His six career shutouts are 9th on the Brewers all-time list. While she does not have Daves baseball background, they are both Cardinals fans, and even spent their honeymoon in St. Louis attending Cardinals games. He attended Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, IA on a baseball scholarship and was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round, the 14th overall selection, in the January 1980 MLB draft. Zielke was born Corinne Swenson on February 18, 1916 in Ettrick, and grew up on a farm near South Beaver Creek, seven miles east of Ettrick. By the time he reached high school age he had to drop out and go to work to help support his family. When he was 16 he joined the competitive factory team, and at age 20 he signed his first professional contract with the La Crosse Pinks of the Class D Wisconsin State League. Alfred Babe Harnish was born in La Crosse on September 15, 1923. Picture Captions: OTBA 2021 Hall of Fame Ceremony. Since the Wisconsin State League Hall of Fame was formed in 2007, 78 individuals have had the honor of being inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame. The Wisconsin State League has released the all-league first and second teams for the 2022 season, as voted on by the team's General Manager's and league personnel. He was also a respected and successful manager. He was a historian of the game and an eager and talented participant. He was one of the first pitchers to be used in the role of what has now become known as the set-up man, most often entering in the 7th or 8th inning and then giving way to the likes of Hall of Fame closer Rollie Fingers. He pitched in a total of three games that season, finishing with a 1-1 record in 14.1 innings pitched, with an impressive 3.14 ERA and 14 strikeouts. At its peak, the Stars Tournament drew more than two hundred teams each summer. It was at Westby High School where he first began coaching baseball, and eventually was named Athletic Director as well. The cost to attend is $25 per person with reservations due by October 15. And when that wasnt enough, he organized a baseball league (the 13th Ward Baseball League, founded in 1961) and a tournament that grew to be one of the biggest in the country. Johnson stuck with the Reds for half the season, serving as the bullpen catcher, but never saw action, finally being sent down to Charleston of the Central League, where he hit .269 in 34 games. Registration is now open for the 2022 Wisconsin State League Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner. Stepping away from the baseball diamond did not mean he stopped contributing to the community though. After his death in 1975 she returned to work, running the tea shop at Doerflingers.