| Lake Erie Crushers | |
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| Founded in 2009 Avon, Ohio |
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| Owner(s)/Operated By: Steven Edelson | |
| General Manager: Daniel Helm (Ryan Gates 2009-10) | |
| Manager: John Massarelli | |
| Media: The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram | |
| Website: lakeeriecrushers.com | |
The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team based in Avon, Ohio. It is a member of the independent Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Crushers won the 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.
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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. Team owner 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 weren’t 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.
Edelson said any of the runner-up names could have been selected, but the team wanted a name that represented the area. The name recognized the vineyards in Lorain County and crushing grapes to make wine. Edelson said that the Crushers name also alluded to the industrial nature of the area. Avon Mayor Jim Smith said the name is perfect because grapes and wine are an important part of this area's history. Several wineries remain active in the area, he added.
"Lake Erie Crushers is just about as good a name as you can possibly get", the mayor said.[1]
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| Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League) | |||||
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| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason | Frontier League Champions |
| 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. |
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| 2010 | 50-46 | .521 | 4th in FL East | No Postseason | River City Rascals |
| 2011 | 51-45 | .537 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series vs Joliet Slammers. | |
On July 13, 2011, the Lake Erie Crushers and All Pro Freight Stadium will host the 2011 Frontier League All-Star Game. A total of eight Crushers have been voted into the game by the Frontier League's managers, coaches, media and front offices. There have been five fielders and three pitchers to play in the game for the Crushers with third baseman Andrew Davis being the only repeat All-Star.
| Lake Erie Crushers All-Stars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Year | Player | Position | Game Location | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Andrew Davis | Third Base | Road Ranger Stadium Loves Park, Illinois |
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| Tim Binkoski | Out Fielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luke Hetherington | Out Fielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gordon Gronkowski | DH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paul Fagan | Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Andrew Davis | Third Base | Rent One Park Marion, Illinois |
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| Jodam Rivera | Shortstop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Josh Roberts | Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Travis Risser | Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Cinadr | Pitcher | 2011 | Andrew Davis | Third Base | rowspan="4" | All Pro Freight Stadium Avon, Ohio |
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| Nick Mahin | Outfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kelyn Schellenberg | Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joel Collins | Catcher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kyle Shaffer | Catcher
StaffThe Lake Erie Crushers are managed by John Massarelli, who is entering his third season with the Crushers. In 2009, he successfully led his squad to a 57-38 regular season record and ultimately, the Frontier League Championship. The 2010 season saw Lake Erie fall just five games short of the playoffs as the Crushers went 50-46 making the team's all-time record 107-84. Dave Schaub, Chris Steinborn and Curt Ickes each rejoin the Crushers for the 2011 season as well. New to the staff is Matt Yonkof, a Lorain County native. Matt will be the Crushers athletic trainer. [2]
StadiumMain article: All Pro Freight Stadium
The Crushers play at All Pro Freight 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, which will afford Cleveland State University the opportunity to play more home games despite facing inclement weather in March and April. The stadium also includes concession stands, a gift shop and a state-of-the-art sound system. ReferencesExternal links
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