Lake Erie Crushers
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueFrontier League (West Division)
LocationAvon, Ohio
BallparkMercy Health Stadium
Founded2009
League championships1 (2009)
Division championships2 (2013, 2019)
ColorsPurple, white
   
OwnershipBlue Dog Baseball, LLC
ManagerJared Lemieux
MediaElyria Chronicle-Telegram, The Morning Journal
Websitelakeeriecrushers.com

The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team based in Avon, Ohio, a city near the southern shore of Lake Erie. They are members of the West Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Crushers won the 2009 Frontier League championship in their inaugural season. They defeated the River City Rascals, three games to two, after losing the first two games of the series.

History

Avon 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

Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League)
YearW–LWin %PlacePostseasonManager
200957–38.6002nd in FL EastFrontier League Division Series: Defeated the Kalamazoo Kings 3–2.
Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the River City Rascals 3–2.		John Massarelli
201050–46.5214th in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyJohn Massarelli
201151–45.5372nd in FL EastFrontier League Division Series: Lost to Joliet Slammers 3–0.John Massarelli
201253–42.5584th in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyJohn Massarelli
201356–40.5831st in FL EastFrontier League Division Series: Defeated the Traverse City Beach Bums 3–1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Lost to the Schaumburg Boomers 3–0.		Jeff Isom
201452–43.5474th in FL EastFrontier League Wild Card: Lost to the Schaumburg Boomers 1–0.Chris Mongiardo
201538–57.4006th in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyChris Mongiardo
201648–48.5002nd in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyChris Mongiardo/Cam Roth
201745–51.4694th in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyCam Roth
201850–46.5213rd in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyCam Roth
201954–42.5631st in FL EastFrontier League Division Series: Lost to Florence Freedom 3–0.Cam Roth
2020——————Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic——
202141–55.4273rd in FL EastNo Postseason, did not qualifyDan Rohn
202249–47.5105th in FL WestNo Postseason, did not qualifyCam Roth
202337-59.3858th in FL WestNo Postseason, did not qualifyJared Lemieux Totals640–604.525—5 appearances, 2 division titles, 1 runner-up finish, 1 championship; 9–15, .375—

Current roster

Lake Erie Crushers roster
Active (24-man) roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  •  4 Angelo Baez
  • 26 Perry Bewley
  • 32 Brayden Bonner
  • 45 Thomas Bruss
  • 10 Sam Curtis
  • 23 J. D. Hammer
  • 20 Nathan Holt
  • 11 Trevor Kuncl
  • 37 Matt Mulhearn
  • 36 Darrien Ragins
  • 14 Alexis Rivero
  • 28 Yasel Santana
  •  7 Kyle Seebach



  

Catchers

  • 25 Mike Blanke
  •  3 John Tuccillo

Infielders

  • 16 Vincent Byrd Jr.
  • 12 Santiago Chirino
  • 15 Brendon Dadson
  • 22 Kenen Irizarry
  •  8 Sean Lawlor
  • -- Kemuel Thomas-Rivera ‡
  •  5 Jarrod Watkins

Outfielders

  •  2 Sean Cheely
  •  9 Jack Harris
  •  6 Todd Isaacs
  • 35 Gabe Snyder
  • 21 Jiandido Tromp
  

Manager

  • -- Jared Lemieux

Coaches

  • 12 Santiago Chirino (hitting)
  • -- Jason Zgardowski (pitching)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

Roster updated June 6, 2023
 Transactions

Notable alumni

Stadium

The Crushers play at Mercy Health 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

  1. ↑ "Elyria Chronicle Telegram Archives, Sep 24, 2009, p. 21". 24 September 2009.
  2. ↑ Embrace the Grape
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