The Lake Erie Crushers (often referred as the Grapes) are a professional baseball team based in Avon, Ohio. They compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the Central Division in the Midwest Conference, and began play as an expansion team in 2009.
| Lake Erie Crushers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Information | |||||
| League | Frontier League (Central Division) | ||||
| Location | Avon, Ohio | ||||
| Ballpark | Crushers Stadium | ||||
| Founded | 2009 | ||||
| Nickname(s) | Grapes | ||||
| League championships | 1 (2009) | ||||
| Division championships | 2 (2013, 2019) | ||||
| Colors | Purple, white | ||||
| Playoff berths |
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| Ownership | Blue Dog Baseball, LLC | ||||
| Manager | Jared Lemieux | ||||
| Media | Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, The Morning Journal | ||||
| Website | lakeeriecrushers | ||||
The Crushers won the 2009 Frontier Cup in their inaugural season. They defeated the River City Rascals, three games to two, after losing the first two games of the series.
History
editAvon Professional Baseball unveiled the name and logo on Thursday, December 4, 2008, of the Frontier League team that will begin play in Avon. The name was chosen from entries submitted in a "Name the Team" contest sponsored by The Morning Journal. The owner of the team, Steven Edelson, said more than 800 team name ideas were submitted.
After years of talk, Frontier League officials decided to put a team in Lorain County. After initially hinting it would be in Lorain, they decided to go with Avon because, rumor was they were not happy with the stadium Lorain was offering them, which is now known as The Pipe Yard.
The "Name the Team" contest was launched in October, and the hundreds of entries were whittled down. Fans then voted on finalist selections, choosing from Ohio, Lorain County, Avon, Cleveland or Lake Erie for the team location name and the Groove, Ironmen, Red Tails, Artichokes, Crushers, Walleyes, and Woollies for the team name.
In their inaugural season in 2009, the Lake Erie Crushers won the Frontier League championship after a 57-38 regular season. They rallied to eliminate the Kalamazoo Kings, three games to two, before rallying from a 2-0 series deficit to defeat the River City Rascals in the Frontier League Championship Series, 3-2, with a 13-10 Game 5 victory on the road on Sept. 23, 2009.[1]
The Crushers also reached the Frontier League postseason in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2019. They reached the Frontier League Championship Series once during that span, being swept by the Schaumburg Boomers, three games to none.
In February 2016, Edelson sold the team to Tom & Jacqueline Kramig of Blue Dog Baseball LLC. The Kramigs are on-site owner/operators who are planning several significant upgrades to the team and the ballpark in conjunction with the City of Avon.
On March 15, 2017, the Lake Erie Crushers unveiled new logos and uniforms that allude to the viticulture of the Great Lakes region. Purple and white replaced the original colors of black and red.[2]
Seasons
edit| Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | W–L | Win % | Place | Postseason | Manager | |
| 2009 | 57–38 | .600 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Kalamazoo Kings 3–2. Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the River City Rascals 3–2. |
John Massarelli | |
| 2010 | 50–46 | .521 | 4th in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | John Massarelli | |
| 2011 | 51–45 | .537 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost to Joliet Slammers 3–0. | John Massarelli | |
| 2012 | 53–42 | .558 | 4th in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | John Massarelli | |
| 2013 | 56–40 | .583 | 1st in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Traverse City Beach Bums 3–1. Frontier League Championship Series: Lost to the Schaumburg Boomers 3–0. |
Jeff Isom | |
| 2014 | 52–43 | .547 | 4th in FL East | Frontier League Wild Card: Lost to the Schaumburg Boomers 1–0. | Chris Mongiardo | |
| 2015 | 38–57 | .400 | 6th in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | Chris Mongiardo | |
| 2016 | 48–48 | .500 | 2nd in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | Chris Mongiardo/Cam Roth | |
| 2017 | 45–51 | .469 | 4th in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | Cam Roth | |
| 2018 | 50–46 | .521 | 3rd in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | Cam Roth | |
| 2019 | 54–42 | .563 | 1st in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost to Florence Freedom 3–0. | Cam Roth | |
| 2020 | —— | —— | —— | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | —— | |
| 2021 | 41–55 | .427 | 3rd in FL East | No Postseason, did not qualify | Dan Rohn | |
| 2022 | 49–47 | .510 | 5th in FL West | No Postseason, did not qualify | Cam Roth | |
| 2023 | 37-59 | .385 | 8th in FL West | No Postseason, did not qualify | Jared Lemieux | |
| 2024 | 51-44 | .537 | 3rd in FL West | Frontier League Wild Card: Defeated Gateway Grizzlies 10-8 Frontier League Divisional Series: Lost to Washington Wild Things 2-0 |
Jared Lemieux | |
| Totals | 681–648 | .510 | — | 6 appearances, 2 division titles, 1 runner-up finish, 1 championship; 9–15, .375 | — | |
Current roster
edit| Active (24-man) roster | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
Utility players
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Notable alumni
edit- Chris Smith (2010)
- Mickey Jannis (2012–2014)
- Robb Paller (2016–2017)
- Travis Hafner (2018)
- Coco Crisp (2019)
- Ryan Feierabend (2021)
- J. D. Hammer (2023)
- Alfredo González (2024–present)
Stadium
editThe Crushers play at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio, which has been their home since their inception in 2009. The stadium, built and owned by the City of Avon, has a capacity of 5,000, including 3,000 box seats, 11 private suites, four-person terrace tables, berm seating and picnic and patio areas for group outings. The playing surface is artificial turf, and includes concession stands, a gift shop and a state-of-the-art sound system.
References
edit- ^ "Elyria Chronicle Telegram Archives, Sep 24, 2009, p. 21". 24 September 2009.
- ^ Embrace the Grape