News and Notes From the 2018 WSL Fall Meeting

October 15, 2018

A recap of items from the Wisconsin State League's 2018 fall meeting.

Wisconsin State League fall meeting 2018

Below is a recap of noteworthy items from the Wisconsin State League’s 2018 Fall meeting, held on Sunday, October 14, 2018, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI.

Leave of Absence

After several seasons of player personnel issues, the Oshkosh Giants intend to take a leave of absence from league play in 2019. The Giants will use the time to focus on building a stronger, more competitive roster for the coming seasons. The Giants have been members of the Wisconsin State League since 1976. They will retain their league membership and affiliation. The Giants may play some exhibition games throughout the summer, but they will not be competing in WSL play.

West Bend 7 Up also announced their intentions to remain on a leave of absence from WSL play through 2019. West Bend remains a member of the Land O’ Lakes league and Southeastern Wisconsin Baseball League. Uncertainty with upcoming stadium renovations was one of the factors in determining to remain on the leave. West Bend will re-evaluate their situation after 2019 with the hope of rejoining the WSL fulltime in 2020.

On the Move

The De Pere Dodgers will be on the move in 2019. The Dodgers will be vacating their current field at Westwood Park in De Pere and move into Joannes Stadium in Green Bay. The move comes after the Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods Leauge have moved out of the stadium. The team will remain named the De Pere Dodgers for 2019, however, a name change in 2020 is possible.

Welcome Aboard

The Wisconsin State League welcomed two new teams into the fold for 2019 – the Burlington Barons and Milwaukee Baseball Academy.

Burlington is a former WSL member, who is looking to take on a greater challenge in terms of competition and as well as play a bigger league schedule. The Barons are managed by Ryan Hoffman, and play their games at Beaumont Field in Burlington. They will join as a full league member.

The Milwaukee Baseball Academy is a brand new team, that will be comprised of all college players. The Milwaukee Baseball Academy has sent 30 players to college programs over the last three years, and will be looking to that pool of players to make up their initial roster in 2019. The Milwaukee Baseball Academy will play most of their games on the road in 2019. The Milwaukee Baseball Academy will not be playing a full-season schedule in the WSL in 2019, as the startup franchise adjusts to the grind of a WSL schedule. All stats from WSL games against Milwaukee Baseball Academy will count, and Milwaukee Baseball Academy will be included in the standings, but they will be excluded from consideration for the league championship.

Schedule Adjustment

With Burlington taking Oshkosh’s spot in 2019, and with the addition of Milwaukee Baseball Academy on a part-time basis, the league schedule will now stand at 33 games in 2019, up three games from prior years. All teams with the exception of Milwaukee Baseball Academy will play five games against each other in 2019, and three games against Milwaukee Baseball Academy. The league champion is determined by the best regular season record.

The Wisconsin State League is one of the premier semi-professional/amateur baseball leagues in the mid-west. In operation since 1970, the Wisconsin State League is a highly competitive league that features many of the midwest's top current and former collegiate athletes, as well as many former professional baseball players. Keep up to date on everything happening in the Wisconsin State League by following the league online on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

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