Call to order:
The 68th Annual Board of Directors meeting of the Wisconsin Baseball
Association was held at the Hallie Eagle’s Club in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, on
Saturday, April 9th, 2016. The meeting convened at 1:05 PM, President Joe Juza
presiding, and Chris LaBreche, secretary.
Members in attendance: Josh Briggs, Josh Eidem, Burt Ekern, Dave Hanson, Gary
Isensee, Joe Juza, Dan Kraschnewski, Chris LaBreche, Tim Lee, Ed Pufall, Michael
Roiger, Herb Scheithauer, Scott Sorenson, Steve Truttman, and Art Zweifelhofer
(umpire in chief.)
Members not in attendance: Dick Leonhard and Jim Nikolay.
Guests in attendance: Dennis Musil, Erik Hill, Garth Olsen, Kirk Holt, Howie
Thompson, and Mark Eisold.
Approval of minutes: Moved by Mike Roiger and seconded to approve the minutes of
the 67th Annual (April 11, 2015) meeting. Motion carried.
Officers’ reports:
President Joe Juza commended all of the 2015 WBA tournament hosts for their
performance at last year’s semi-finals and finals.
Vice President Scott Sorenson also applauded the work performed by the tournament
sites and directors during the 2015 playoffs.
Treasurer David Hanson submitted and read the 2016 WBA financial statement and
2015 Tournament Financial Report, both of which were distributed to all meeting
attendees. Moved by Burt Ekern and seconded to approve the 2016 financial
statement. Motion carried.
New Business:
Election of Directors
Moved by Ed Pufall and seconded to re-elect Burt Ekern, Dave Hanson, Joe Juza, and
Scott Sorenson to three year directorial terms. Motion carried.
Elimination of Article 12, Rule 9 of the WBA Constitution and Bylaws
Moved by Gary Isensee and seconded to rescind Article 12, Rule 9, regarding player
eligibility. Motion carried.
Amendment of Article 13, Rule 2 of the WBA Constitution and Bylaws
Moved by Dan Kraschnewski and seconded to amend Article 13, rule 2, so as to
increase the number of games players must participate in to be no fewer than 40% of
their team’s total league games, in order to be eligible for the state tournament.
Motion carried.
Player Ejection / Suspension from 2015 Tournament in Coon Valley
Moved by Mike Roiger and seconded that the Lansing Mudcats player who was
ejected from their playoff game at Coon Valley for physically assaulting an umpire will
be suspended from WBA eligibility for 1 year. Motion carried.
Motion to Allow 40 Mile Radius for Upper 13 League
Moved by Tim Lee and seconded that teams from the Upper 13 League would be
allowed to utilize players within a 40 mile radius from their home park on their player
agreement forms. Motion carried.
2017 WBA Playoff Tournament Dates
Moved by Joe Juza and seconded that the dates for the 2017 WBA semi-finals shall be
Friday, August 11th through Sunday, August 13th; dates for the WBA finals shall be
Friday, August 18th through Sunday, August 20th. Motion carried.
2016 WBA Seeding Meeting Date
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded that the WBA Seeding Meeting shall be held
on Monday, August 1st at 7 PM, at the Hallie Eagle’s Club. Motion carried.
WBA Umpire In Chief
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded that Art Zweifelhofer shall remain as WBA
Umpire In Chief for 2016. Motion carried.
WBA Umpire Fees
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded that umpires at the WBA Finals shall be paid
$85 per game. Motion carried.
WBA Finals Rotation
Moved by Burt Ekern and seconded that the State Finals shall be rotated as before
through all of the member leagues, with a finals site price of $2000. Motion carried.
2016 WBA Semi-Final Tournament Bid Auction
The following teams were awarded tournament sites for 2016:
Sparta Miller — bid $3000
Haugen Knights – bid $3000
Interwald Woodticks (to be played at Rib Lake) – bid $3000
Chippewa Falls Lumberjacks (to be played at Hallie) – bid $3000
Adjournment: Moved by Mike Roiger and seconded to adjourn. The meeting was
adjourned at 3:30 PM.