Call to order: The 69th 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 8th, 2017. The meeting convened at 1:05 PM, President Gary Isensee presiding, and
Chris LaBreche, secretary.
Members in attendance: Josh Briggs, Burt Ekern, Dave Hanson, Gary Isensee, Chris
LaBreche, Ed Pufall, Michael Roiger, Herb Scheithauer, Scott Sorenson, Steve Truttman,
and Art Zweifelhofer (umpire in chief.)
Members not in attendance: Josh Eidem, Joe Juza, Dan Kraschnewski, Tim Lee, Dick
Leonhard and Jim Nikolay.
Guests in attendance: Dennis Musil, Mike Siverling, Erik Hill, Garth Olsen, Kirk Hove,
Brandon Geist, Travis Thompson, and Jeremiah Paulson.
Approval of minutes: Moved by Mike Roiger and seconded to approve the minutes of the
68th Annual (April 9, 2016) meeting. Motion carried.
Officers’ reports:
No formal written report was filed for President Isensee or Vice President Sorenson.
Treasurer David Hanson submitted the 2017 WBA financial statement. Moved by Mike
Roiger and seconded to approve the 2017 financial statement. Motion carried.
Secretary LaBreche submitted the current WBA Constitution and Bylaws for all directors.
New Business:
Election of Directors
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded to elect Dan Kraschnewski and Ed Pufall to
another 3 year directorial term. Travis Thompson was elected to replace Josh Briggs, and
Jeremiah Paulson was elected to replace Josh Eidem. Motion carried.
Tournament Bid Payment & Team Share Check Distribution Rule
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded to add a new rule that reads: All semi-final
tournament hosts shall submit their bid check to the WBA Treasurer on or before August
18th. (The start of the WBA Final Tournament.) The final tournament host shall submit its
bid money and gate receipts to the WBA Treasurer immediately following the conclusion
of the WBA Final Tournament. Team share checks will be distributed to eligible playoff
teams no later than September 15th by the WBA Treasurer. Motion carried 6-0.
Article 13, Rule 4 Amendment / Rule Change
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded to change Article 13, Rule 4 to add the following:
The top half ranked teams from each league will be playoff eligible. Any remaining playoff
berths shall be distributed to teams with the highest winning percentages from teams
ranked in the lower half of their respective leagues; host teams are included
automatically. Motion carried 6-0.
Amendment of Article 13, Rule 2 of the WBA Constitution and Bylaws
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded to amend Article 13, rule 2, to change 40% to
25% of league games, rounded down. Motion carried 6-0.
Tournament Site Rule – In-State Only
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded to amend Article 13, Rule 6 to add: State
tournament sites must be hosted in the State of Wisconsin. Motion carried 6-0.
2018 WBA Playoff Tournament Dates
Moved by Dave Hanson and seconded that the dates for the 2018 WBA semi-finals shall
be Friday, August 10th through Sunday, August 12th; dates for the WBA finals shall be
Friday, August 17th through Sunday, August 19th. The finals will be hosted by the Chippewa
River League. Motion carried 6-0.
2017 WBA Seeding Meeting Date
Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded that the WBA Seeding Meeting shall be held on
Tuesday, August 1st at 7 PM, at the Hallie Eagle’s Club. Motion carried.
2017 WBA Semi-Final Tournament Bid Auction
The following teams were awarded tournament sites for 2017:
Eau Claire Rivermen (to be played at Hallie) — bid $3200
Haugen Knights – bid $3200
Interwald Woodticks (to be played at Rib Lake) – bid $3200
Stanley Slammers – bid $3200
Adjournment: Moved by Steve Truttman and seconded to adjourn. The meeting was
adjourned at 3:35 PM.