The Shoreland Baseball League was born out of the Manitowoc County Baseball League. Formed in the 1930’s, the MCBL had featured teams exclusively from Manitowoc County, including the small communities of Francis Creek, St. Ann, Reedsville, and Tisch Mills, as well as the “large” cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers. By the end of the 1960’s, teams from Sheboygan and Kewaunee counties had joined the league. Because of the league’s expanded geographical reach, a committee was formed in 1971 to come up with a more fitting name for the league. At the 1972 annual meeting, the committee presented three options. After a vote, Shoreland Baseball League was chosen.
During the 50 years that followed, 29 different organizations have fielded teams with thousands of ballplayers. These men come from all walks of life - blue collar, white collar, husbands, fathers, teenagers, adults. Some had highly successful baseball careers in high school or college. Some even went on to play professionally. But they all took the field for the love of baseball and joy of playing the game.
In 2017, a Hall of Fame was created to honor and recognize those individuals who have left an indelible mark on the league. First, the “Founding Fathers,’’ who created and sustained the Shoreland League and its longstanding teams, were selected. Next, those who achieved great success on the ballfield were chosen for their statistical accomplishments and individual awards. The twelve members selected to date cover eight decades and represent some of the most important individuals responsible for the league as it exists today.
As we look forward to the next 50 years of the Shoreland League, we hope the excitement of today’s event inspires the next generation of ballplayers to continue to dedicate themselves to the sport and to seek leadership roles with their teams and organizations so that this great game can continue to endure.
Taken from the Shoreland League's 50th Anniversary book
1972 On March 30, 1972, the Manitowoc County Baseball League changed its name to the Shoreland Baseball League. The league was led by Lee Nebel as president and secretary/treasurer, Hank Semph as vice-president, and Ron Masiak as publicity director. New Holstein and St. Ann requested a leave of absence. The Valders Blue Dukes were accepted into the league and joined Howards Grove AC’s, Cleveland Wildcats, Two Rivers Cubs, Two Rivers Polar Bears, Manitowoc Spirit Devils, Kewaunee Chiefs, and Algoma Penguins for the inaugural season. The Kewaunee Chiefs were crowned league champions by winning both the first and second half. The Chief’s Pete Rohr won the Batting Title and Cleveland’s Jim Cullen was named MVP.
1973 In 1973, New Holstein and St. Ann officially withdrew from the league after taking a leave of absence. Manitowoc requested a leave of absence and the remaining seven teams from the previous year returned. League officers remained the same. The league made a donation in honor of Edgar “Tiny” Nell who had led the Algoma Wolves/Penguins and died over the winter. In adherence to Major League Baseball rules, the Designated Hitter was approved for use in the league. However, in opposition to Major League Baseball rules, aluminum bats were also approved for use. The Kewaunee Chiefs swept Algoma in a three-game series for the league title. Len Bogenschultz of Cleveland won the Batting Title and the Two Rivers Polar Bear’s Denny Hrdina won MVP.
1974 For the 1974 season, Manitowoc was dropped from the league. All prior teams returned and league officers remained the same. The Two Rivers Polar Bears won the league championship. The Polar Bear’s Paul Oswald was voted Most Valuable Player and Algoma’s Gaylord Mauer was the Batting Champion.
1975 The Maribel Jays entered the league and Valders took a year leave of absence in 1975. An all star game was played against the Door County League which resulted in an 11-1 win for the Shoreland stars. The Two Rivers Polar Bears once again were crowned league champions defeating Algoma in the Championship Series and Denny Hrdina won his second of three MVP awards. Bill Shaw from the Kewaunee Chiefs won the Batting Title.
1976 The Two Rivers Cubs left the league before the 1976 season and Valders returned from their leave of absence. An all star game with the Door County League was scheduled to be played in Two Rivers but no result was recorded. In a repeat of the previous season, Denny Hrdina was voted league MVP and the Two Rivers Polar Bears won the title. Robert Laack of Howards Grove was the Batting Champion.
1977 In 1977, the Casco A’s joined the Shoreland League and Valders left. Mike Martin was elected as the new publicity director. The Two Rivers Polar Bear’s Denny Hrdina threw a no-hitter against Casco, striking out 21 batters. The Howards Grove AC’s defeated Two Rivers in the Championship series to take the league title. The Polar Bear’s Lee Wetenkamp won the Batting Title and MVP award.
1978 There were no changes to the league in 1978. The Championship series was a rematch of the previous year pitting the Two Rivers Polar Bears against the Howards Grove AC’s. Two Rivers appeared to win game three and the series but a protest by Howards Grove in the eighth inning was upheld and the game was restarted ten days later from that point. After the restart, Two Rivers finally won a game that took 13 innings and almost two weeks to complete. Howards Grove’s Wayne Boettcher won MVP and Cleveland’s Clete Wager won the Batting Title.
1979 Kewaunee was granted a year’s leave of absence in 1979. Lee Wetenkamp from the Two Rivers Polar Bears was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round. Howards Grove won the league title. Gig Christensen of Howards Grove won the Batting Title. After several rounds of tied votes, Dave Wagner of Cleveland was named league MVP.
1980 The Shoreland expanded by two teams in 1980 with the return of Kewaunee and the entrance of Cato. The league was split into two four-team divisions for the regular season. Lee Lawrenz from Algoma was selected as the new publicity director. The Two Rivers Polar Bear’s Brian Sinkula threw a no-hitter against Casco. The championship series featured another matchup between Howards Grove and Two Rivers with Howards Grove coming out on top. Terry Berkowitz was named league MVP and Mark Kuhn won the Batting Title - both players from Howards Grove.
1981 Maribel requested a leave of absence in 1981. John Rooney was elected as publicity director. Howards Grove won their third consecutive league championship. Their players swept awards as well with Gig Christensen being named MVP and Brian Hipple winning the Batting Title.
1982 In 1982, Maribel took another leave of absence but the league welcomed two new teams. The Cato/Whitelaw franchise was dissolved and re-entered as the Branch Blaze and the Green Bay Mariners were a new entry. The Casco A’s Randy Foyt won both the Batting Title and MVP and Howards Grove won their fourth championship in a row.
1983 The Oneida Braves entered the league in 1983. Maribel officially left the league after not playing the last two seasons. The now nine-team league was divided into North and South divisions. Howards Grove was crowned champion for the fifth consecutive season. Algoma’s Pete Guth was named league MVP and Oneida’s Ed King Jr. won the Batting Title.
1984 The year 1984 saw two teams leave the league and one enter. The Casco A’s took a leave of absence and the Green Bay Mariners left while the Ashwaubenon A’s joined. The league remained split into two divisions for the regular season with Ashwaubenon taking Green Bay’s place in the alignment. For the sixth year in a row, Howards Grove won the championship and Dan Miller of Howards Grove won both the MVP and Batting Title.
1985 In 1985, the Kimberly Cardinals and Menasha MAC’s joined the league. The Two Rivers Polar Bears changed their name to the Twin Cities Polar Bears in reference to the cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers. Casco returned from their leave of absence and Cleveland took one. The championship series saw Kimberly and Ashwaubenon face off and the newcomers came away with the title. Paul Hermann of Twin Cities won the Batting Title and Kimberly’s Tim Carney was named league MVP.
1986 Cleveland took another leave of absence in 1986. All previous teams returned. In a repeat of the previous year, Kimberly and Ashwaubenon faced off in the championship series with Kimberly winning again. Kimberly’s Greg Schreiber swept the individual awards winning both the Batting Title and the MVP.
1987 Twin Cities took a leave of absence and Cleveland returned from theirs in 1987. The Kaukauna Kings entered the league which now had 12 teams. The league was divided into East and West divisions for the regular season with the division champions playing a one-game playoff to determine the overall champion. Kewaunee won the East and the Grand Championship. Kewaunee’s Chris Kohnle won the East Division Batting Title and MVP. There was no West Division Batting Title awarded due to lack of stats reported but the MVP was given to Mark Hinske from Menasha.
1988 Three teams did not return to the league for 1988 as Menasha and Kimberly left and Ashwaubenon took a leave of absence. Twin Cities also left after taking a leave the previous year. Paul Frazer Sr. was elected as publicity director replacing John Rooney. Jeff Schomberg from Howards Grove won the MVP and Batting Title and Howards Grove won the league championship.
1989 In 1989, Ashwaubenon returned from their leave of absence while Casco took one and Menasha rejoined the league. Now at eight teams, the league was divided into two four-team divisions. Howards Grove and Menasha were division winners with Howards Grove facing off against Branch in the championship series and Howards Grove winning the title. Mike Jacques from Ashwaubenon was named the MVP and won the Batting Title. A donation was made in honor of former league president and Two Rivers manager, Howie Timm, after his passing earlier in the year.
1990 Ashwaubenon and Cleveland each took a leave of absence in 1990. Their spots were filled by Casco returning from their leave and the Green Bay Green Sox joining the league. Teams were divided into two divisions again for the regular season. Oneida won the North division and Howards Grove won the South division and league championship. Rick Meyer from Howards Grove won the Batting Title and Dennis King from Oneida was named league MVP.
1991 The league dropped to seven teams in 1991 with Ashwaubenon and Cleveland leaving and Menasha taking a leave of absence. Howards Grove defeated Green Bay to win the league championship. Brian Cashore from Branch won the Batting Title. Dan Yagodinski from Casco won the MVP.
1992 All seven teams returned for the 1992 season. Branch was the league champion. No individual awards were given out due to lack of stats.
1993 In 1993, Dan Lukes from Algoma was elected the new publicity director. All teams returned from the previous year but Green Bay dropped from the league mid-season. Howards Grove won their 12th league title. Casco’s Dan Yagodinski was a triple crown winner, leading the league in batting average, homeruns, and RBI’s. Dan was named MVP and won the Batting Title.
1994 Two teams left the league and one returned for 1994. Branch and Oneida took a leave of absence and Menasha came back. For the first time ever, a Pitching Championship would be awarded. Menasha defeated Howards Grove in the championship series to win the league title. Jamie Hennen from Howards Grove won the Batting Title and MVP. Mark Woerfel from Menasha was selected as the league’s first Pitching Champion.
1995 In 1995, Branch took another leave of absence and the Ashwaubenon A’s returned to the league after leaving after the 1989 season. Ashwaubenon won the league title. Jamie Hennen from Howards Grove won the Batting Title and Howards Grove’s Brian Skortz was named MVP and pitching champion.
1996 Branch left the league before the 1996 season and the Kaukauna Cattle Dogs and De Pere River Bandits joined the league. The nine teams were split into two divisions for the regular season. Kewaunee won the East Division and Menasha won the West and the league title. Jason Bartelt from Ashwaubenon won the Batting Title. Ben Gorres from Menasha was the pitching champion and Dan Yagodinski from Casco was named MVP.
1997 The league lost one team for the 1997 season when Ashwaubenon left. Menasha finished with the best regular season record but lost the championship to Kaukauna. Joe Rukamp from De Pere was the Pitching Champion. Corrie Zimmerman from Algoma won both the Batting Title and the MVP.
1998 Keith Danforth from Oneida was elected as the new publicity director in 1998. Kaukauna left, dropping the league to seven teams. The ten-run mercy rule was adopted for regular season games. Menasha won the league championship. Dan Yagodinski from Casco was named league MVP, Jason Rohr from Kewaunee won the Batting Title, and Joe Rukamp from De Pere won the Pitching Championship. Two players from the league were selected in the MLB draft: Brad Voyles from Casco taken in the 45th round by the Atlanta Braves and Eric Hinkse from Menasha taken in the 17th round by the Chicago Cubs.
1999 The Denmark Devilbears joined the league in 1999. De Pere was crowned league champion. De Pere’s Brett Spaeth won the Batting Title and Joe Rukamp won the Pitching Championship, his third in a row. Jason Rohr from Kewaunee was selected as league MVP.
2000 All teams returned for the 2000 season. Menasha won the league title. Kelly O’Brien and Nick Olmstead, both from De Pere, won the Batting Title and Pitching Championship, respectively. After multiple tie votes, Lance Hill from Oneida and Matt Woodrow from Howards Grove were named co-MVP’s.
2001 Menasha left the league in 2001. De Pere was the league champion. PJ Weber from Howards Grove won the Batting Title. Justin Massey from Casco was the Pitching Champion. Jason Stangel from Kewaunee was selected as MVP.
2002 All teams returned for the 2002 season. The designated hitter rule was modified to allow its use for all positions, not just pitcher. Casco was the league champion. Casco’s Jason Arendt won the Batting Title and Pitching Championship. Algoma’s Ryan Klessig was voted the league MVP.
2003 De Pere left the league in 2003 but they were replaced by the returning Two Rivers Polar Bears. Howards Grove finished with the best regular season record and won the championship series. John Bray from Casco won the Batting Title and MVP. Ryan Shaw from Howards Grove and Brad Novak from Algoma shared the Pitching Championship.
2004 No teams were lost or added for 2004. Jack Sprecher created a website for the league to report games and stats. Casco was the league champion. Casco’s John Bray won his second consecutive MVP award. Chris Thousand from Howards Grove was the Pitching Champion and Ben Jewson from Two Rivers won the Batting Title.
2005 Both Howards Grove and Denmark requested a leave of absence in 2005. The league approved the use of wood bats on a trial basis for the next two seasons. Casco won the league title. Ben Jewson from Two Rivers was the Batting Champion. Justin Massey from Casco was the Pitching Champion. Keith Danforth from Oneida was voted MVP.
2006 Denmark left the league and the Branch Blaze returned in 2006. League president Lee Nebel was selected as the new publicity director. The use of wood bats was permanently approved. Algoma finished with the best regular season record and Kewaunee won the championship. Tom Schmidt from Two Rivers was the Batting Champ. Ryan Klessig from Algoma won the Pitching Championship. John Mleziva from Casco was named MVP.
2007 Denmark returned to the league in 2007 and won the championship. Casey Mumper from Kewaunee was the Pitching Champion and MVP. Dom White from Oneida won the Batting Title.
2008 There were no changes to teams for the 2008 season. Denmark won the championship. Paul Smith from Branch won the Batting Title. Alex Ackerman from Algoma won the Pitching Championship and the MVP was Doug Novak from Algoma.
2009 Oneida did not return for the 2009 season and the Manitowoc Heat joined the league. Denmark had the best regular season record and won their 3rd consecutive league title. Lawton Pieschek from Denmark won the MVP and Batting Title. Jason Arendt from Casco was the Pitching Champion.
2010 The 2010 season remained the same as the previous year. Denmark once again had the best regular season record and won their 4th league championship in a row. Casey Mumper from Kewaunee won the MVP and Pitching Championship. Ben Jaeger from Denmark won the Batting Title.
2011 There were no changes to teams for 2011. Denmark won their 5th consecutive league championship. Tanner Ledvina from Kewaunee won the MVP and Dave Paplham from Kewaunee was the Batting Champion. Chad Laluzerne from Algoma won the Pitching Title.
2012 No teams joined or left the league for the 2012 season. Casco finished with the best regular season record and Two Rivers won their first league title since 1978. Mike Ruzek from Two Rivers became the first player in league history to sweep the end of season awards winning the MVP, Pitching Championship, and Batting Title.
2013 The Little Chute Bandits joined the league in 2013. On July 25, the Shoreland League defeated the Door County League 5-2 in an all star game in Casco. Two Rivers won back to back league championships. Mike Ruzek from Two Rivers was the Batting Champion. Justin Wotachek from Denmark was the Pitcher of the Year and Devon Kornowski from Casco was MVP.
2014 In 2014, the Sheboygan Braves joined the league. With a steal of home in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Door County League defeated the Shoreland League in an all star game on July 26 at Bailey’s Harbor by a score of 3-2. Denmark was the league champion. Alex Keuch of Little Chute won the Batting Title. Lukas Stewart from Casco was the Pitching Champion. Mike Ruzek of Two Rivers was named MVP.
2015 Howards Grove returned to the league in 2015 under the new nickname of River Dogs. An all star game against the Door County League was played on July 1 in Denmark and went 13 innings, with Door County winning 1-0. Two Rivers won the league championship. Spencer Miller from Little Chute won the Batting Title. Luke Mandich from Two Rivers was the Pitching Champion. Shaun Corroy from Casco was the MVP.
2016 All ten teams returned for 2016 and were split into two five-team divisions. An all star game was played against the Door County League on July 29 at Institute. The Door County League won 5-4. The North Division was won by Little Chute and the South by Two Rivers. Denmark was the overall league champion. Mike Ruzek and Luke Mandich, both from Two Rivers, were the Batting Champion and Pitching Champion, respectively. Mitch Ciske from Little Chute was MVP.
2017 Howards Grove, Sheboygan, and Little Chute all left prior to the 2017 season. AJ Lorrigan was elected as vice president along with Hank Semph. The Shoreland League Hall of Fame was created with longtime league officers Lee Nebel from Two Rivers and Hank Semph from Howards Grove/Cleveland selected as its first members. On July 20, the Shoreland League defeated the Door County League in an all star game in Denmark. Denmark finished with the best regular season record and Two Rivers won the league title. Luke Mandich from Two Rivers was named MVP. Alex Loberger from Denmark was Batting Champion and Trevor DePas, also from Denmark, won the Pitching Title.
2018 The 2018 Shoreland Hall of Fame class consisted of Frank Fameree from Casco and Terry Qualman from Algoma. Two Rivers finished with the best regular season record and Algoma won their first Shoreland League title. Austin Rohe from Algoma won the Batting Title and MVP. Luke Mandich from Two Rivers was the Pitching Champion.
2019 The Manitowoc Heat left the league in 2019 and the Green Bay Storm joined. The Two Rivers Polar Bears moved to Manitowoc and became the Manitowoc Bandits. Jim Doden from Kewaunee and Kevin Konkol from Denmark/Branch were elected to the Hall of Fame. Manitowoc won the league championship. Chris Casper from Manitowoc won the Batting Title and Luke Mandich from Manitowoc was the Pitching Champion. Tom Sawyer from Algoma was the MVP.
2020 Changes were made to the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic. Kewaunee and Green Bay chose not to play due to their home fields being unavailable and teams played a condensed regular season schedule which started in late June. Jack Sprecher and Dan Yagodinski from Casco were selected to the Hall of Fame. The Manitowoc Bandits went undefeated in the regular season and won the league championship. Luke Mandich from Manitowoc won the MVP and Pitching Championship. Chris Rohr from Manitowoc won the Batting Title. After the season, longtime league president, Lee Nebel, announced he was retiring.
2021 The Green Bay Storm left the league in 2021 and the Ashwaubenon Lookouts joined. AJ Lorrigan from Branch and Kevin Konkol from Denmark were elected as co-presidents. Dale Wagner from Cleveland and Ryan Klessig from Algoma were elected to the Hall of Fame. A donation was made in honor of former league vice president and Howards Grove manager, Hank Semph, who passed away during the summer. The Manitowoc Bandits won their third consecutive league championship. Wes Mleziva and Yeral De la Cruz from Denmark won the MVP and Batting Title respectively. Zach Watzka from Ashwaubenon was the Pitching Champion and Jeremy Cox from Ashwaubenon won the newly created Rookie of the Year award. June 25, 2022 was chosen as the date for an event in recognition of the Shoreland League’s 50th anniversary.
2022 There were no changes to teams for 2022. Jason Stangel from Kewaunee and Howie Timm from Two Rivers were elected to the Hall of Fame. In all star game against the Door County League on July 14 at Capital Credit Union Park in Green Bay, the Shoreland League came up short in a 3-2 loss. The league’s 50th anniversary was celebrated on June 25 at Walsh Field in Two Rivers. Ashwaubenon and Manitowoc battled in the Championship Series with Ashwaubenon coming out victorious. Manitowoc players swept individual awards with Luke Mandich winning both MVP and the Pitching Championship, Earl Vorpagel the Batting Championship, and Brandon Black the Rookie of the Year.
