Wisconsin District 4 Little League: Welcome

With August upon us, district tournaments are now complete.  Congratulations to all of the district tournament champions.  Check the "District 4 Tournament History" page to see who won this year's tournaments.  Past year's winners are also listed.  Then, head over to the "Recent Tournament Champs" page to see how our district champions fared in state tournament play and possibly beyond.  The "News" page may also have more information on your favorite championship team. 

Our district did crown state champions in the Junior and Senior Divisions.  Congratulations and good luck to the Madison Kennedy Junior All-Stars as they continue in Regional Tournament play in Fort Wayne, IN.  Also, congratulations and good luck to the Madison West National Senior All-Stars as they continue in Regional Tournament play in Columbia, MO.  Check out www.littleleague.org for updates on how the teams are doing.

As the tournament season winds down, be sure to check with your local league to see if they offer a "fall-ball" season.  It's a great way to continue to develop skills and have fun in the process. 

District 4 Little League fans, this is your webpage!  We hope that it is your first home for information on Little League baseball and softball in southcentral Wisconsin.  If there is anything you feel needs to be added or changed, please send an e-mail to jjkautza@charter.net.

Jeremy Kautza--Webmaster

If you need to contact someone from District 4:

In the first game, a rematch of last year’s state championship, Kennedy outslugged Appleton Telulah 15-13 in a 2-1/2 hour marathon game.  Kennedy burned pitchers Tyler Siessenop, Zach Stinson and Easton Gaber to get through the marathon game.  Andrew Pliner secured the game in the final inning staying eligible to pitch game 2.  Tyler Siessenop made an incredible play at 3^rd to stop a Telulah sixth inning rally. 

Game 2 featured more fun with a 2 hour rain delay for all teams.  With the hard work of the grounds crew and the help of all Kennedy athletes and coaches, the field was made ready for play.  However, the hard work didn’t stop Kennedy from taking Lowes Creek (Eau Claire) 17-8 in another 2-1/2 hour game.  Chad Herbst, Adam Hagarty, and Adam Cook pounded doubles, with Herbst adding another home-run to the board.  Austin Redders, Andrew Pliner, Kian O’Brien and Nick Knoche combined for 12 runs scored.  Chad Herbst pitched an astounding 88 pitches before Andrew Pliner finished the game on the hill.  Ryan Hildebrandt made a spectacular inning-ending diving catch with the bases loaded.  At the completion of all games for the day, Ashland Little League hosted an incredible picnic for all teams with homemade salads and desserts, brats from Pierson’s Sausage, and 1919 tap Root Beer.  A great time was had by all.

Game 3 against Elmbrook led to another victory for Kennedy 11 year-olds.  Kian O’Brien threw 87 pitches in 5 strong innings as Andrew Pliner and Easton Gaber came on to close the 11-2 victory.  Offensively, Austin Redders (4 runs, 3-3 with a walk) and Andrew Pliner (4 runs, 2-2 with 2 triples, and 2 BB) were on fire in 1-2 spots.  Kian O’Brien, Adam Hagerty, Adam Cook, and Chad Herbst pounded out doubles to clear the bags.  Nick Knoche anchored the catching position for the 3^rd day in a row in the sizzling heat and humidty.

Through Monday, Madison Kennedy remained the only undefeated team.  Appleton Telulah and Lowes Creek were both 2-1 (with their losses both coming at the hands of Kennedy).  Madison Kennedy battles winless Antigo in this afternoon's game. 

Click on the following links to find schedules and game results for our district champions who are currently playing at the state and regional levels.  You can also click on "Recent Tournament Champs" on the left for the latest updates.  Best of luck to all of our district teams!

9-10 All-Stars (Madison East LL):  State Tournament in Milwaukee (click on "9-10 State BB Championship" link).

11's All-Stars (Madison Kennedy LL):  State Tournament in Ashland (click on "2008 10 & 11 Year-Old State Baseball Tournament" link).

Juniors All-Stars (Madison Kennedy LL):  Central Regional Tournament in Fort Wayne, IN

Seniors All-Stars (Madison West National LL):  Central Regional Tournament in Columbia, MO

Our Majors All-Stars from Madison Kennedy LL advanced all the way to the championship game at the state tournament, losing to Appleton Einstein LL.  Congratulations on a great season.  Check out daily recaps from the Majors state tournament in the story below.

The 2008 State Majors tournament kicked off on Saturday, July 19 in typical style with the "parade of champions."  All-stars from around the state were introduced as they circled the infield.  One team from each of the six districts in the state earned the right to play for the state championship. 

District 2's Appleton Einstein and District 6's Oak Creek kicked off tournament action.  Appleton raced out to a 10-0 victory with several long-balls helping the process.  District 5's Antigo faced Distrcit 3's Eau Claire American in the second game.  It was a classic back-and-forth struggle that went extra innings before Antigo put runners on second and third with no one out in the bottom of the 7th.  Antigo went on to win 4-3.  District 4's Madison Kennedy squared up against District 6's Elmbrook in the nightcap.  Madison Kennedy's balanced offensive attack and the arm of Fred Manke earned them an 8-0 victory. 

Madison Kennedy and Eau Claire American kicked off day 2 of round-robin play.  Madison Kennedy's bats continued to awe fans and propelled the all-stars to a 14-8 victory.  In other action, Appleton Einstein topped Elmbrook, 18-4, and Oak Creek beat Antigo, 10-5.  Madison Kennedy and Appleton Einstein took the leadership position in the tournament at 2-0.

Day 3 of round robin play saw Oak Creek beat Elmbrook 8-4 in a game delayed by rain.  Game 2 saw Madison Kennedy rebound from an early 6-2 deficit against a tough Antigo squad to win 12-6.  Home-runs were hit by Drew Elbe, Fred Manke, Matt Byars, and Riley Anderson to spark the come-back.  In the nightcap, Appleton Einstein saw a 9-4 lead get cut to 9-8 in the bottom of the 5th inning on a late charge by Eau Claire American.  Einstein scored 2 in the top of the sixth and quickly dispensed of Eau Claire's hitters in the bottom of the sixth to secure the 11-8 victory.  At then end of action on Day 3, Madison Kennedy and Eau Claire remained the only undefeated teams at 3-0.

Round robin play continued on Day 4 of the tournament with game 1 featuring Appleton Einstein facing Antigo.  Both teams scored two runs in their half of the first inning setting up a classic matchup.  Antigo tallied the next 3 runs pushing the score to 5-2 as Appleton Einstein came to bat in the sixth.  Einstein promptly put runners at the corners on back-to-back singles with nobody out.  But Antigo picked a perfect time to record the tournament's first "natural" double-play on a ground-ball to second, which was flipped to short and then fired to first to complete the rally-crushing 4-6-3 double-play.  Antigo recorded the third out to secure the victory, giving Einstein their first loss in the tournament.

Day 4 continued with Madison Kennedy, now the only undefeated team, trying to hold onto the coveted top-spot by beating Oak Creek.  On the strength of home-runs by Riley Anderson, Fred Manke, and a multi-home-run game by Matt Byars (2), Kennedy sailed to a 10-1 victory.  The showdown between Appleton Einstein (1 loss) vs. Madison Kennedy (0 losses) was now set with the winner advancing to the semi-finals as the number 1 seed.  In the nightcap on Day 4, Eau Claire American topped Elmbrook, 8-2.

Round robin play came to a close on Day 5 of the tournament.  In game 1, Antigo defeated Elmbrook, 12-2.  Oak Creek topped Eau Claire American 11-6 in game 2.  And, in the long-awaited matchup pitting the top two teams in the tournament, Appleton Einstein handed Madison Kennedy their first loss 11-3.  Although Madison Kennedy took the loss and dropped to the number 2 seed for the semi-final round, both Drew Elbe and Fred Manke are available to pitch with no additional rest required, as the coaching staff continued to factor the pitch count rule into their strategy for winning the tournament.

In semi-final action, second-seeded Madison Kennedy battled third-seeded Oak Creek.  The Kennedy all-stars jumped out to an early lead on a first-inning, 2-out, full-count grand slam hit by Drew Elbe.  Elbe's arm stymied Oak Creek hitters for 20 pitches, and Riley Anderson came on to finish.  Helped by a Fred Manke 2-run homer and his own solo shot, Anderson secured the 11-3 victory.  In the second semi-final, first-seeded Appleton Einstein used a late rally to top fourth-seeded Antigo scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth in dramatic fashion.   The final score was 8-7.

On championship night it was the two-top seeds battling for the right to to play for the Great Lakes Regional championship in Indianapolis, IN and a possible trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.  Unfortunately for the Kennedy All-Stars, Appleton Einstein's ace, Connor Rolain kept the Kennedy bats mostly silent.  Drew Elbe's solo home-run in the second was the only run Kennedy could muster.  Rolain proceded to retire the next 15 batters in order, and ended up with 13 strike-outs.  Einstein won the 2008 state Majors championship 5-1.

Congratulations to Madison Kennedy for a fantastic run in the tournament.  And, good luck to Appleton Einstein in their quest for a Central Regional Championship.  You can follow the action in Indianapolis by clicking here.

Congratulations goes out to the Madison Kennedy LL all-star team as they sailed through the District 4 Majors tournament. The Kennedy all-stars went undefeated in pool play, advancing to the semi-finals where they topped Portage LL 17-0 on July 15. They captured the championship the next night, beating Verona LL 10-1.

Madison Kennedy won the tournament with some of the most dominating play in recent memory. Defensively the all-stars were very sound, but didn't have too much to worry about as the pitching staff kept batters off-balance for much of the tournament. Together they held opponents to a paltry 0.100 runs per inning. Offensively, the bats provided more than enough power. With games featuring several players with multiple hits, including numerous doubles, triples and home-runs, the all-stars managed to put up a most-impressive 89 runs over 6 games.

The Madison Kennedy all-stars will take their balanced and powerful attack to the State Majors tournament in Wausau, WI in their quest to advance to the Regional in Indianapolis, IN--one step away from a LL World Series. Good luck guys!

Click on the link below to access a file that contains information on the final results of the 2008 District 4 Majors tournament.  The file contains a complete schedule of games with final scores, pool play standings, and final average runs allowed per inning for pool play.  Special thanks to Bill Battista, Majors Tournament Coordinator, for compiling this information.

Are you looking for photos of the District 4 tournament?  If so, professional photographer, Joseph Henricks, has thousands of photos available for purchase.  Joe has taken some great shots of most every team in the tournament.  He also has some great "action shots" of plays made throughout the tournament. 

To go to Joe's website where you can view photos and place an order, visit the "Sponsors" page by clicking on the link to the left. 

Click on the link below to view information on the 2008 Majors District 4 tournament.   The file contains important information about the Majors District tournament, as well as the tournament schedule.

If you have any questions, please contact the Majors tournament coordinator, Bill Battista, at eartags@aol.com.