River Rat History: 1999-2008

April 3, 2008 (Foreword)

As I begin another iteration of River Rat History, I would once again like to dedicate this page to everyone who has helped out the River Rats through its eight seasons of baseball.  You know who you are, especially if you're taking the time to read this self-serving blather from me, but to all of my former players, coaches, assistants, fans, and associated family members / girlfriends / associates, and umpires, thank you so very much...  At times I partially believe the silly lyric Don Henley sang a couple of decades back-- "The more I know, the less I understand, all the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again."  At other times I remind myself that running this team is a hell of a lot easier than either: a) working another part-time job to make more money, b) coaching a youth baseball team with rabid / over-zealous / extremely passionate parents, or c) devoting more time to housekeeping, a marriage, or parenthood.  Despite the no-shows, the flippant remarks, and grief exhibited by team members over the years, I'm convinced that my milieu is tres magnifique!

The Hudson River Rats formed in April 2000 from the remnants of three amateur baseball teams in the Twin Cities metro area.  Two teams had previously competed in the St. Croix Valley Baseball League of western Wisconsin (the Spring Valley Hawks and Hudson Rebels), while the Shoreview Shark had (and still does) played in the St. Paul Senior Men's league.  The reasoning was simple— the players and people associated with those teams needed a fresh start, and so we decided to form an entirely new squad in a central location (Hudson).  The basic premise behind the River Rats was putting together a solid veteran team that would eventually compete for a Wisconsin Baseball Association championship, all the while having fun and winning games in the local area.

The initial 2000 River Rat roster was composed of: OF Jason Bast, P Jeremy Dumond, OF Brandon Johnson, P Brian Rudesill, P Nate Stellrecht (who luckily joined the team in June), IF Shaun Miley, OF Paul Ruppert, IF Andy Koehler, P Kevin Johnson, C Chris Reisdorf, C Matt Barnard, IF John McGinley, OF Adam Bast, P John Meyer, IF Matt Pearson, IF Jeff Schultz, IF Rob Barabe, IF Ken Corbett, and OF Eric Sommers.  The team that year accomplished a 19-10 overall record, going 8-5 in league play, and 1-1 in the playoffs, eventually ending the season against the Chaseburg-Coon Valley Blues.  Most notable that year were Jason Bast, who hit .387 with 5 HR and 19 RBI in 26 games, and Brian Rudesill, who compiled a 9-1 record with a 2.87 ERA in 12 games pitched.  The River Rats won two tournaments in 2000, the Plum City Memorial Day tournament, and the Ellsworth Independence Day tournament. 

2001 brought several new players to the Rats, including Steve Stellrecht, Joel Schaffer, Dan Powell, Tony Barlow, and Jeff Mutschler, while Ken Corbett, Kevin Johnson, and Eric Sommers decided to retire.  Starting pitcher Jeremy Dumond injured his shoulder early in the season and was forced into retirement as well, placing the responsibility of starting mainly on Nate Stellrecht and Brian Rudesill.  The Rats managed to play 36 games in the 2001 campaign, but sadly fell to 6-7 in league play and out of the WBA playoffs, despite an excellent 10-2 overall start and a second Plum City Invitational Tournament championship.  A stretch of losses to Menomonie, New Richmond, Prescott, and Osceola (twice) sealed the River Rats fate—lost among the wreckage were excellent offensive performances by SS John McGinley and OF/1B Joel Schaffer; Steve Stellrecht also enjoyed a great year both offensively and defensively, while brother Nate Stellrecht led the River Rat staff in ERA.  With many lessons learned and a commitment to play one more season from several key veterans, the River Rats headed into 2002 prepared for change.

2002 will be remembered as the year in which everything came together for the River Rats (at least in the playoffs!)  Arguably lost in the recollection is the team's struggle to post an 8-5 league record (even with a 6-1 start!), and how it was only a 13-15 team heading into the WBA semi-finals…  The 2002 Rats lost veteran starters Jason Bast and Jeff Schultz from the everyday lineup to start the year.  Brock Johnson, Chris Chirhart, Andy Koehler, and Matt Barnard would only play on a part-time basis for the season as well...  Added to the team were pitchers Jordan Krause and Chris Chirhart, as well as infielders Tim Johnson and AJ Burr.  Along the way, the Rats managed their worst performance in the Plum City tournament (losing two out of three games), while they took third place in the Spring Valley tournament over Father's Day weekend... 

The pivotal games of the 2002 season had to be the classic 4-2 win over New Richmond on July 7th (the infamous 15 inning, heat wave "Death Match"), and the two playoff games played against Menomonie (in the semi-finals) and Prescott (in the finals).  The dramatic 6-4 victory over the Eagles in the championship game was fittingly set into place by none other than Menomonie native and UW-Stout hall of fame catcher/pitcher Matt Barnard.  Matt went 2-4 that day, with 2 RBI and a mop-up victory in relief of starter Nate Stellrecht, who pitched 6 2/3 innings of outstanding baseball.  Lost in the shuffle and excitement was the game tying infield single of 2^nd baseman Matt Pearson with two outs in the top of the 8^th inning.  Sadly, the Rats scored the winning run on a passed ball charged to Menomonie infielder/manager Luke Welch, who had to fill in for catcher Brad Stokke after a questionable ejection in the 9^th inning.  Matt Barnard would add another insurance run in the 9^th as the Rats earned their way to their first WBA championship. 

To say that the 2002 WBA Championship was a miraculous event for the Rats would be somewhat of an understatement—the lineup put onto the field that weekend accomplished far more in three games than most teams accomplish in more than half a league season’s games!  In game one, the River Rats once again played the Prescott Pirates of the SCVBL, using veteran Brian Rudesill to start on the mound.  After the Rats staked a 1-0 lead in the third inning off a Matt Barnard single, they surrendered two runs in the top of the fourth, on a 2 RBI single by Pirate 2^nd baseman Jason Bayer.  The Rats tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, scoring eventual defensive tourney MVP Andy Koehler on a Dan Powell single.  The score remained tied until the bottom of the sixth, when Rat 1st baseman Joel Schaffer hit a solo home run to start the Rat half of the inning.  In the bottom of the 8^th, 2^nd baseman Matt Pearson hit a 2 out solo shot to right field to give the River Rats a two run cushion, which they would subsequently need.

Brian Rudesill gamely took the mound in the 9^th, despite a few objections on the Rat bench, facing the middle of the Pirate order—he then proceeded to load the bases on two singles and a walk before striking out the next two Pirate batters…  Rudesill then induced what appeared to be a game inning grounder to second base, only to see a fielding error by Matt Pearson due to his slipping on the back slope of the Augusta infield.  With the game tied and the go-ahead run at second, Rudesill wasted no time in getting Charlie Babcock to hit an 0-2 groundball to John McGinley for the force out at second.  With a fatal bullet dodged, the Rats then batted in their half of the ninth, leading off with a Dan Powell single against reliever Matt Montieth.  Leadoff hitter John McGinley then struck out on four pitches to bring up Plum City draftee outfielder Zach Watkins—with a 1-0 count, Zach took the next pitch well over the right field fence for a walk off 2 run homer, propelling the River Rats to a semi-final matchup against the Oulu Bluejays later on Saturday, August 17^th.

In the Oulu game, manager Chris LaBreche tapped their second Plum City draftee, pitcher Tony Garner, to start on the hill.  The Rats wasted no time in this matchup, scoring twice in the first inning on a Matt Barnard home run to center field.  In the top of the second, they posted six more runs, scoring Zach Watkins, Matt Barnard, Joel Schaffer, Steve Stellrecht, Matt Pearson, and Paul Ruppert—the inning was culminated by Stellrecht’s 3 run shot to left center field, which also brought in Barnard and Schaffer.  Eventually the Rats would put up four more runs, 1 in the fourth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh, while Tony Garner would allow only 2 hits and an unearned run while striking out 11 Bluejays.  With the ten-run rule in effect, the Rats earned a birth in the championship game with a 12-1 win—their last game would be against the hometown host Augusta Athletics, on Sunday, August 18^th.

Starting the title game for the Rats was standout hurler Nate Stellrecht, pitching for the first time in a WBA championship game.  In what ended up as an anti-climactic high scoring shootout, the River Rats fell behind early, surrendering a 2 run shot to Augusta’s Shane Dutton in the top of the 1^st after an Andy Koehler error led off the game.  Stellrecht settled in after the homer, retiring the heart of the Augusta lineup in order, clearing the way for the River Rat offense.  Against Tilden draftee pitcher Todd Bresina, SS John McGinley led off with a walk, followed by two flyouts by Zach Watkins and Matt Barnard.  Joel Schaffer then worked a 2-2 count and launched a game-tying shot over the right field fence to knot the game at 2-2.  In the next inning, Augusta went down in order, but the Rats scored four more times, as Matt Pearson and Paul Ruppert led off with back to back singles.  After a Dan Powell sac bunt and a McGinley sac fly to score Matt Pearson, Ruppert scored on a Watkins double to center field.  Matt Barnard then doubled to left field, followed by another double off the glove of Augusta’s center fielder by Joel Schaffer.  Steve Stellrecht ended the inning, but the Rats now held a 6-2 lead going into the 3^rd inning.  Both Augusta and Hudson would go down in order in the 3^rd, and then Augusta would hit into a one-out double play to end the top of the 4^th.  In the 4^th, the River Rat bats once again exploded, this time for six runs, starting with a leadoff single by Powell, an RBI double by McGinley, a single by Watkins (where McGinley was thrown out at the plate on a very questionable tag), a HBP to Matt Barnard, a fielder’s choice by Joel Schaffer, and then four consecutive hits by Steve Stellrecht (double), Andy Koehler (single), Matt Pearson (double), and Paul Ruppert (2 run single).  Dan Powell ended the inning with a fly out to center, but the River Rats now held a ten run lead heading into the 5^th inning.

The Augusta Athletics didn’t hang up the cleats just yet, scoring two runs in the fifth, off an RBI single by SS Scott Gibson and an RBI double by Shane Dutton.  Perhaps incensed by Augusta’s refusal to give up, the Rats responded again, posting four runs of their own off reliever Mike Gilbertson.  After a leadoff walk by McGinley, the tourney’s offensive MVP Zach Watkins homered, followed by a Matt Barnard single, a Joel Schaffer walk, a Steve Stellrecht RBI single, and an RBI sac fly by Andy Koehler; Matt Pearson would then strike out followed by a Paul Ruppert pop out to third.  Augusta scored twice again in the sixth, on a two run shot by third baseman Rich Lang, while the Rats only responded with 1 run in the sixth, scored by John McGinley on a double by Zach Watkins.  In the 7^th, Augusta once again hit a two run homer, this time by first baseman Jeremiah Paulson, but the Rats scored two runs of their own, bringing in Koehler and Pearson on an error and a fielder’s choice.  Sadly, Joel Schaffer left the bases loaded in that inning, as the Rats took a 19-8 lead into the 8^th inning.  Brian Rudesill took over for Nate Stellrecht in the 8^th, giving up an unearned run on three errors—he struck out two Augusta batters before giving way to Tony Garner in the 9^th inning, who retired the Augusta side in order.  A 19-9 victory in hand, the River Rats celebrated their first WBA title, in only their third year of existence.

Following the season, several River Rats decided to either try their luck elsewhere or hang up the cleats, including John McGinley, Matt Barnard, Jeff Mutschler, one year wonders Tim Johnson and AJ Burr, and Chris Reisdorf.  Andy Koehler and Steve Stellrecht returned in 2003, but would eventually move on after that season…

The 2003 River Rats sported new faces and a somewhat revamped lineup, including newcomers Tim Lau, Justin Boyd, Chad Seguin, and Jordan Krause (on a full time basis).  Despite the excellent pitching of Nate Stellrecht, whose ERA hovered under 2.00 most of the year, the Rats had a difficult time putting together consistent offensive performance, especially in league games.  Once again staking early victories in the league, the Rats had a difficult time winning late in the season, dropping four games in a row to Menomonie, Spring Valley, Bay City, and New Richmond.  The season was salvaged by wins against New Richmond and Ellsworth, but only with the help of veteran part-timer Brandon Johnson, who filled in to play the final game against Ellsworth.  Offensively, both Jordan Krause and Tim Lau contributed great seasons, while veterans Brian Rudesill, Paul Ruppert, Dan Powell, and Matt Pearson played steadily all season.  For the playoffs, the River Rats decided to try their luck in Ellsworth for the semi-finals, playing their first game against the Everest Merchants of the Dairyland League.  A dramatic 12 inning classic, the River Rats tied the game at 4-4 in the top half of the 9^th on a Paul Ruppert single which scored SS Jordan Krause.  Nate Stellrecht nearly singled home Joel Schaffer to put the Rats ahead in the inning, but Schaffer was thrown out at the plate.  With Krause relieving starter Brian Rudesill in the 11^th inning, the Rats and Merchants battled until the 12^th, when the game was finished by a 6 run River Rat outburst—mostly fueled by third baseman Matt Pearson’s two-out grand slam to left center field.  Joel Schaffer would then end up with a hit by pitch after the slam, which Paul Ruppert answered with his own two run shot.  The Merchants, while putting numerous runners on in their half of the 12^th, would not score again. 

The second semi-final game of 2003 was a match-up between the River Rats and the Tilden Tigers, who the Rats hadn’t seen since the 2002 Plum City tournament.  This time around, however, it was the Tigers winning 5-2, on the strength of pitcher Todd Bresina, who held the Rats to 8 hits and 2 runs while striking out 6 Rat batters.  Nate Stellrecht was not as sharp, surrendering 9 hits and 4 earned runs, while striking out only 4 Tiger batters.  Despite the difficult end-of-season loss, the Rats held out hope for the 2004 season, knowing that many changes needed to be made for the future…

2004 ended up as the most disappointing season in River Rat history, mostly due to the inevitably poor record of 5-18, but also due to the loss of several key Rat players for most of the year.  In late May, pitcher Nate Stellrecht celebrated the birth of his first children, twins Nolan and Abby, effectively limiting him to parental duties away from the team.  Newcomers Tad Tewes, Dan Walrack, and Nick Noack joined the team, along with Kelvin Rudnick, but an injury suffered in mid-June by Tewes eliminated him from the roster.  Added to that, infielder Tim Lau, a standout on the 2003 team, was required to complete part of his Air Force ROTC training for six weeks of the season, in June and July, removing him from most of the games.  What was left afterwards was a squad searching for a regular catcher, particularly after the July departure of Walrack.  Hall of famer Matt Barnard decided to fill in for the Rats at a few games, but even his presence wasn’t enough to fill the void left by several key players.  Even with a poor season, the River Rats managed to make their way to the Plum City championship for the fourth time in five seasons, succumbing to the overwhelming talent of the Menomonie Eagles on that day.

In 2005 the Rats restarted themselves with the enormous help of Jordan Krause, Brian Rudesill, and Rob Barabe.  In April 2005, the River Rats started anew, hoping to turn around the fortunes of a team that for all purposes looked to be dead and buried...  And they won.  For the first time in six tries, the River Rats managed to earn a share of their division title (if not outright winning it due to holding a tie-breaker over co-champion Osceola) by putting together a 9-4 league record.  Joining the team were four players from a highly talented 2004 Hudson American Legion team, including pitcher/infielder Paul Johnson, catcher Todd Marino, pitcher Aaron Moen, and outfielder Devin Rasmussen  Additionally, the Rats lured former pitcher Tony Barlow back from semi-retirement, and also added infielder Nick Ihn and outfielder/infielder Al Wurzberger.  Despite a slow start in May, the team began to find its way in June, compiling a 3-1 league record in June (after an 0-1 May), then a blistering 6-2 finish in July, losing only to Prescott and Osceola.  Highlights of the season included dramatic come from behind victories over the Menomonie Eagles on June 10th (a 5-4 win on the road), the Osceola Braves on July 10th (an 11-10 win at home in front of a large group of hostile Osceola fans), and walk off wins versus Bay City (4-3 at home on July 2nd) and the aforementioned Osceola win.

What was perhaps most memorable for everyone associated with the River Rats in 2005 was our semi-final playoff run in Ashland-- despite an extra-inning 9-8 loss to Bangor in the second game, the River Rat performances against Bangor (and its 7-6 dramatic win over Marshfield in game 1) were the stuff of legend.  Starter Jordan Krause played and pitched brilliantly in the two games, earning the win in game one, and collecting multiple hits in game 2.  Devin Rasmussen provided a game-breaking triple in game one, while also picking up an extra base hit against Bangor in game two.  The River Rat's top of the ninth comeback from a 7-2 deficit is the stuff of legend-- for fans who saw the game, it was fantastic.  Sadly, however, it wasn't to be, and the Rats couldn't keep their one run lead in the bottom of the ninth.  Four innings later they would give up a bases loaded blooper to end the 2005 season; however, it paved the way for 2006...

The 2006 River Rats saw what could be considered as the best of both worlds-- young players and old veterans returning to the fold.  Jason Bast and Jeff Schultz came out of retirement (again) to help the team, while shortstop Tim Lau was once again able to play full time without the encumbrance of military duty removing him in mid-season.  Also added to the 2006 roster was ex-New Richmond Miller Mike Ratz, who proved to be an excellent relief pitcher and veteran presence on the squad.  As in the days of old, the River Rats earned a Plum City tournament championship (albeit one shortened by severe weather on Memorial Day) and an Ellsworth Invitational tourney championship.  Along the way Joel Schaffer and Jordan Krause put up sizable offensive statistics, while Krause and Paul Johnson threw exceptionally from the hill.  Tony Barlow, who started as a gangly, goofy bench player way back when, turned into the SCVBL's version of Dennis Eckersley in 2006-- closing games with authority and earning an all-star appearance along with Schaffer, Krause, and Tim Lau.

The Rats compiled a 10-3 league record (a team best), yet still finished in second place behind the Menomonie Eagles, a result of losing back to back games to the Eagles (5-1) and Millers (3-1) in early July.  With an excellent record, a #2 playoff seed, and an abundance of confidence, the River Rats headed for the first time to Haugen to face off against the Chaseburg-Coon Valley Blues in game 1 of the semi-finals.  Sadly, it would be the last game of the season for the River Rats, as they slipped behind early and never recovered en route to a 7-2 loss.  The lone highlight of the game was a mammoth home run blast by first basemen Joel Schaffer in the ninth inning...  The '06 Rats finished 19-9 overall, a fine record considering that they started out 4-5 before the Plum City tourney. 

In 2007, the squad found itself in both familiar and unfamiliar territory.  Familiar in the sense that two key players had decided to return for another campaign, i.e. young gun Paul Johnson, who was coming off another successful season of pitching at St. Olaf College, and veteran Nate Stellrecht, who had last suited up for the Rats in May 2004.  The unfamiliar territory related to the somewhat surprising loss of pitcher/infielder Jordan Krause, who had given the team conflicting signals about his status, ultimately leading to not only his departure from the team, but from the area as well.  To fill the void of talent Krause's departure brought, the Rats found Stillwater players Andy LaBrosse and Joel Carlson (via Brian Rudesill), Hastings native Jason Hollar (via Paul Johnson), and veteran world traveler / story teller Mike Eicher (via Joel Schaffer & Brian Rudesill.)  Joel Schaffer and Al Wurzberger split catching duties throughout the year, with a rotation of players at first base (mostly with Mike Eicher), second base (split between Joel Carlson, Paul Johnson, and a few others), and outfield (Jason Hollar took over center field, with Paul Ruppert splitting between left and right field with the likes of Al Wurzberger, Devin Rasmussen, and Jason Bast.)  Also joining the team was Hudson native BJ Denzer, who hit well despite considerable time away from the game (until an unfortunate late season injury sidelined him for the year.)  Despite a strong start in May (7-3 overall), the Rats soon found themselves with a 3-4 league record after a rare and emotional loss at Plum City on July 1st.  Compounding the problematic record was a thirteen day layoff-- fortunately the squad managed to win five of its last six league games to secure a playoff birth at Haugen against the Brill Millers.

In another classic playoff game for the books, the River Rats rode on the coattails of starter Paul Johnson, who threw eight outstanding innings of shutout baseball to bring his team to the verge of victory.  In the top of the 9th, the Rats erupted for 4 runs, as Nate Stellrecht and Joel Schaffer led off with back to back singles.  An ill-timed and poorly executed sacrifice bunt attempt by Jason Bast gave the Millers their first out of the inning, but Paul Ruppert's hard liner off the left-center fence loaded the bases for pinch hitter Brian Rudesill.  Rudy responded by roping an RBI single to score both Nate Stellrecht and Joel Schaffer.  Devin Rasmussen would then hit an infield single to again load the bases, but a questionable pick-off of Ruppert at third base threatened to end the rally after two runs.  Jason Hollar's walk loaded the paths again, and with two out, Andy LaBrosse collected a 2 RBI single to bring Al Wurzberger (running for Rudesill) and Devin Rasmussen home.  Tony Garner ended the inning with a strikeout, but the four run lead looked insurmountable with the option of Nate Stellrecht to close.  In what ended up being a bad call, (as Stellie couldn't get loose in time to take the hill), the Rats rushed Travis Borowicz to the mound to close instead of using stalwart Plum City ace Tony Garner.  Despite keeping the ball down and mostly on the infield, Travis was to eventually take the loss as the Brill Millers miraculously came up with three singles and 5 runs to win en route to another WBA finals appearance.  Costly in the inning were two errors made by otherwise solid Rats-- Andy LaBrosse, with a wild throw to first, and Devin Rasmussen, who saw a sharp single to right bounce past his glove to the fence, scoring the winning run.

Despite the bitter ending to the 2007 season, the Rats eagerly await 2008-- as new faces will abound!  From the Hudson Legion team, the squad will welcome Brian Sparstad, Russ Jiskra, Kirk Krumrei, Mitch Lewis, and Chris Kein.  From the ranks of former WIAC all-conference greats, the Rats hope UW-Oshkosh grad (and former Seattle Mariners minor-leaguer) Sean Parnell can find his swing again.  Additionally, the Rats will hope to see pitcher Mike Ratz back on the hill to help relieve what looks to be an excellent starting staff in Paul Johnson, Travis Borowicz, Brian Sparstad, and Russ Jiskra.  Even Joel Schaffer has promised to take the hill this season, if need be, as the team has announced a schedule of 35 games between April 20th and August 2nd.

To everyone who has followed the team and the website, thank you for your time and interest.  We consider ourselves truly enriched and blessed by your help and support-- even if we don't always do the best job of acknowledging that in person.  Thanks also to our generous sponsors and benefactors-- without your support, we'd be a much poorer group of guys.  Hope to see you at the ballpark!

Respectfully,

Chris LaBreche

Hudson River Rats Manager / Webmaster / Historian