The Wisconsin State League was a class D level baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the

Wisconsin–Illinois League The Wisconsin State League was a class D level baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin Stat ...

in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin State League began in 1940, shut down during World War II from 1943 through 1945, then operated from 1946 through 1953. The Class D

began play in 1940 with six charter franchises:

Appleton Papermakers The Appleton Papermakers were a minor league baseball team located in Appleton, Wisconsin. They were part of the Wisconsin-Illinois League from 1909-1914 and was in the Wisconsin State League from 1940-1942 and 1946-1953. The team was coached by ...

, Fond du Lac Panthers, Green Bay Bluejays, La Crosse Blackhawks, Sheboygan Indians and Wisconsin Rapids White Sox. In 1942 the league expanded to eight teams, adding the Janesville Cubs and

Oshkosh Giants The Oshkosh Giants were a minor league baseball team based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that played between 1941 and 1953 in the Wisconsin State League. Notable alumni * Hank Bauer (1941) 3 x MLB All-Star *Dave Garcia David Garcia (September 15, 192 ...

. After play resumed in 1946, La Crosse moved to become the

Wausau Lumberjacks The Wausau Lumberjacks (occasionally known as the Timberjacks) were a minor league baseball team based in Wausau, Wisconsin that existed on-and-off from 1905 to 1957. The Wausau franchise then became the Wausau Timbers before relocating to becom ...

and the league operated with those franchises until its demise following the 1953 season.

List of teams

Wisconsin State League (1905–1907, 1922–1925, 1928–1931, 1940–1942, 1946–1953)
Wisconsin–Illinois League (1908–1914, 1926–1927, 1932) *

Appleton, WI Appleton () is the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet and Winnebago counties. Located on the Fox River, it lies southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton had a ...

(1891, 1909–1914, 1940–1942, 1946–1953) *

Aurora, IL Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River west of Chicago. It is the second-most populous city in Illinois, with a population of 180,542 at the 2020 census. Founded within Kane County, Auror ...

: Aurora Islanders (1910) *

Beloit, WI Beloit ( ) is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. Beloit is a principal city of the Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock County) and is included ...

Beloit Collegians Beloit may refer to Places in the United States *Beloit, Alabama *Beloit, Georgia *Beloit, Iowa *Beloit, Kansas *Beloit, Ohio *Beloit, Wisconsin *Beloit (town), Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Beloit *Beloit Township, Mitchell County, Kansas *So ...

(1905);

Beloit Fairies Beloit may refer to Places in the United States *Beloit, Alabama *Beloit, Georgia *Beloit, Iowa *Beloit, Kansas *Beloit, Ohio *Beloit, Wisconsin *Beloit (town), Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Beloit *Beloit Township, Mitchell County, Kansas *So ...

(1926–1927) *

Chicago, IL Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Logan Squares Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...

(1926–1927, 1932); Niesen's Chicago Pyotts (1926); St. Michael's (1926);

Duffy Florals Duffy may refer to: People *Duffy (surname), people with the surname Duffy or Duffey *Duffy (nickname) *Duffy (singer) (born 1984), Welsh singer, born Aimee Ann Duffy Places *Duffy, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra *Duffy, Ohio, ...

(1932);

Harley Mills Harley Mills (born 3 November 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Peterborough United. Mills is a product of the Aston Villa and Peterborough academies and played on loan at Enfield Town in 2024. Care ...

(1932) *

Eau Claire, WI Eau Claire ( ; lit. "clear water") is a city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the seat of Eau Claire County. It is the seventh-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 69,421 at the 2020 ...

Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls Orphans Eau or EAU may refer to: * The French word for water ** O (Cirque du Soleil), a water-themed stage production * Eau (trigraph), a trigraph of the Latin script * EAU, the IATA code for the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Wisconsin, United State ...

(1906);

Eau Claire Tigers Eau or EAU may refer to: * The French word for water ** O (Cirque du Soleil), a water-themed stage production * Eau (trigraph), a trigraph of the Latin script * EAU, the IATA code for the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Wisconsin, United State ...

(1907) *

Fond du Lac, WI Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac me ...

Fond du Lac Mudhens The Fond du Lac Mudhens were the latest name of a minor league baseball team based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin that played in the Wisconsin State League The Wisconsin State League was a class D level baseball league that began in 1905, changing i ...

(1891); Fond du Lac Webfoots (1907); Fond du Lac Cubs (1908); Fond du Lac Giants (1909–1910); Fond du Lac Molls (1913);

(1911); Fond du Lac Panthers (1940–1942, 1946–1953) * Freeport, IL: Freeport Pretzels (1905–1909) *

Green Bay, WI Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Fox River. Green Bay had ...

: Green Bay Dock Wallopers (1891);

Green Bay Colts Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

(1905–1906);

Green Bay Orphans Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

(1907); Green Bay Tigers (1908); Green Bay Bays (1909–1914); Green Bay Blue Sox (1941); Green Bay Bluejays (1940, 1942, 1946–1953) *

Janesville, WI Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 65,615, making it the List of cities in Wisconsin, tenth-most populous city in Wis ...

: Janesville Cubs (1941–1942, 1947–1953); Janesville Bears (1946) *

Kenosha, WI Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 census. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Ke ...

: Kenosha Twin Sixes (1926–1929) *

La Crosse, WI La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

La Crosse Pinks The La Crosse Pinks were a minor league baseball team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The La Crosse "Pinks" first played under the nickname as members of the Class D level Wisconsin State League from 1905 to 1907. The Pinks continued minor leagu ...

(1905–1906, 1908);

La Crosse Badgers LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

(1907); La Crosse Boosters (1926); La Crosse Blackhawks (1940–1942) *

Madison, WI Madison is the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 census. The Madison metropolitan area had 680,796 residents. Centrally located on an isthm ...

: Madison Senators (1905–1914);

Madison Blues "Madison Blues" is a blues song by American blues musician Elmore James. It is an upbeat Chicago-style shuffle featuring James' amplified slide guitar and vocal. He recorded it in 1960 for Chess Records, during a session that also produced " Tal ...

(1928–1932) * Manitowoc, WI: Manitowoc Shipbuilders (1928–1931) *

Marinette, WI Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephenson Island, part of the ...

: Marinette Badgers (1891); Marinette-Menominee Twins (1914) *

Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

: Milwaukee Creams (1913); Kosciuszko Reds (1928–1930); Onion Oils/ Union Oils (1928); Milwaukee Red Sox (1931–1932) * Oconto, WI:

Oconto Log Drivers The Oconto Log Drivers were a minor league baseball team based in Oconto, Wisconsin and Oconto County, Wisconsin. The "Log Drivers" played as members of the 1891 independent Wisconsin State League, finishing the season in last place in their only ...

(1891) *

Oshkosh, WI Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in Wi ...

: Oshkosh Indians (1905–1914);

1941–1942, 1946–1953) *

Racine, WI Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the fifth-most populous city in ...

: Racine Malted Milks (1909–1911, 1914);

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick F ...

(1909–1915); Racine Eskimos (1926);

(1929–1930) *

Rockford, IL Rockford is a city in Winnebago and Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the seat of Winnebago County. The population was 148,655 at the 2020 census, making R ...

Rockford Reds Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a Unite ...

(1908–1910); Rockford Wolverines (1911–1913); Rockford Wolves (1914) *

Sheboygan, WI Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...

: Sheboygan Chairmakers (1926–1932); Sheboygan Indians (1940–1942, 1946–1953) *

Two Rivers, WI Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,271 at the 2020 census. It claims to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae (though other cities, such as Ithaca, New York, make the same claim). The ci ...

: Two Rivers Mirrors (1928–1931) *

Wausau, WI Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau metropolitan area, which ...

(1905–1908, 1912–1914, 1946–1953) * Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Wisconsin Rapids White Sox (1940–1942, 1946–1953)

Season standings

1891 to 1892

1891 Wisconsin State League 1905 Wisconsin State League 1906 Wisconsin State League
schedule
La Crosse played Freeport on the last day of the season with the pennant in balance. 5,000 fans saw a 0-0 game after nine innings. La Crosse pushed across five runs in the tenth to win.

1907 to 1914

1907 Wisconsin State League

schedule
1908 season (W-I League) 1909 season (W-I League) 1910 season (W-I League) 1911 season (W-I League) 1912 season (W-I League) 1913 season (W-I League) 1914 season (W-I League)

1922 to 1937

1922 season (Wis. State League) 1923 season (Wis. State League) 1924 season (Wis. State League) 1925 season (Wis. State League) 1926 season (W-I League) 1927 season (W-I League) 1928 season (Wis. State League) 1929 season (Wis. State League) 1930 season (Wis. State League) 1931 season (Wis. State League) 1932 season (W-I League) 1933 season (W-I League) 1934 season (Wis. State League) , +First half of the split season: , +Second half of the split season: The Madison Blues won the tie-breaker from Wisconsin Rapids to meet Green Bay, the winner of the season's first half. Green Bay prevailed in the final three-game championship series. 1935 season (Wis. State League) , +First half of the split season: After tying for title of the season's first half, Madison won the first two of a three-game championship series over Sheboygan. , +Second half of the split season: Sheboygan won the run-off for title of the season's second half, but were defeated by first half champs Madison after the Blues won the first two of the three-game title series. 1936 season (Wis. State League) , +First half of the split season:"Blues Win First Half Crown in State League," ''Wisconsin State Journal'', July 6, 1936 Madison defeated Racine to win the title of the season's first half. , +Second half of the split season: Madison clinched the title of the season's latter half on Aug. 23 when they defeated the Racine Belles. The Blues became 1936 State League champions by winning both halves of the split season. 1937 season (Wis. State League) , +First half of the split season: Madison defeated Sheboygan in a three-game series to win the title of the season's first half. , +Second half of the split season:"Belles Lose Home Final," ''Racine Journal-Times'', Sep. 7, 1937 Sheboygan won the three-game tie-breaker series against Madison to win title of the season's latter half. Facing Sheboygan again for the 1937 championship, Blues manager Eddie Lenahan insisted on a single deciding game instead of three. The State League disagreed, declaring that Madison had forfeited the season by refusing to play in a three-game series. The Chairmakers were awarded the 1937 season championship.

References

{{Professional Baseball Baseball leagues in Wisconsin 1940 establishments in Wisconsin 1953 disestablishments in Wisconsin Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Wisconsin State League teams