The Wausau Woodchucks are an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

team that plays in the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

, a collegiate summer baseball league. They play their home games at Athletic Park in

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, an ...

History

The team was known as the Wausau Woodchucks from 1994 to 1998, but the team name was changed to Wisconsin Woodchucks for the 1999 season, as they were the only remaining team in Wisconsin in the league at that time. The team filled the void left by the

Wausau Timbers The Wausau Timbers were a minor league baseball team, located in Wausau, Wisconsin. The Timbers were members of the Class A Midwest League from 1975 to 1990. The franchise was sold in 1991 and moved to Geneva, Illinois, where it became the Kane Co ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, who relocated after the 1990 season to Geneva, Illinois, to become the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...

. In 1998 Clark Eckhoff purchased The Wisconsin Woodchucks, and Eckhoff truly made an impact on the team as well as the community as a whole. Not only did attendance dramatically increase with Eckhoff as owner, but the Woodchucks would go on to win two league championships in 2001 and 2003. The 'Chucks gained some star power for the 2007 season, as former Milwaukee Brewer and

University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh or UW Osh) is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to nearly 14,000 students e ...

product

Jim Gantner James Elmer Gantner (born January 5, 1953) is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1976–92). Background Gantner grew up in Eden, Wisconsin, and attended Campbellsport High School in nearb ...

managed the team. Gantner has been involved with the Brewers in various capacities since his retirement in 1992, including some coaching, but the Woodchucks job is his first managerial experience. Gantner, a native Wisconsinite who owns a second home in Boulder Junction, is familiar with the Wausau area and had expressed interest] in coaching college-age players. On February 2, 2022, the Woodchucks announced their return as the Wausau Woodchucks, with a new logo and color scheme.

Players

A number of major leaguers and other notables have worn a Woodchucks uniform: * Dave Gassner, 1998 (

Hortonville, Wisconsin Hortonville is a village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,711 at the 2010 census. Hortonville is located in the Fox Cities region and the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI CSA, the third largest metropolitan area ...

, native, LHP with Minnesota Twins) *

Casey Janssen Robert Casey Janssen (born September 17, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for two seasons in various levels of the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league organization before his debut in 2006 as a starting pitcher. ...

, 2001 ( RHP,

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

) *

Mark Lowe Mark Christopher Lowe (born June 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detr ...

, 2002– 03 (RHP, Texas Rangers) *

Pat Neshek Patrick John Neshek (pronounced NEE-shehk; born September 4, 1980), is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, ...

, 2000 (

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, native, former relief pitcher with Twins) *

Wes Obermueller Wesley Mitchell Obermueller (born December 22, 1976) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He began his career in the Kansas City Royals organization when he was selected in the 2nd round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. Obermuelle ...

, 1995 (former relief pitcher with

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

) *

Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, N ...

, 2010 (outfielder with New York Mets) * Ned Yost Jr., 2003 (son of former player and manager of the Brewers and manager of the Kansas City Royals

Ned Yost Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos. Early life Yost was born o ...

) * Steve Foster (baseball), 2003 (Pitching coach, with Colorado Rockies) *

Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...

, 2003– 04 2 time World Series champion and World series MVP with the Chicago Cubs (2016) *

Darin Ruf Darin Cortland Ruf (born July 28, 1986) is an American professional baseball first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ruf was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and played at Westside High Sch ...

(Outfielder with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

) * Pat Venditte, 2008 (Made his major league debut on June 5, 2015, with the Oakland Athletics getting much publicity for being a Switch pitcher) Notes * Ben Zobrist and Pat Neshek are the only two to play in an MLB All-Star Game (Zobrist in 2009,2013,2016 and Neshek in 2014)

References

External links

Wausau Woodchucks
– official site
Northwoods League
– official site {{Wisconsinsports Northwoods League teams Sports in Wausau, Wisconsin Amateur baseball teams in Wisconsin