Wisconsin District 4 Little League: State Tournament History
State Tournament HistoryLittle League Baseball came to Wisconsin in 1951, when the state's first charter was granted to a fledgling league in Reedsburg. The Veterans of Foreign War defeated Hankscraft 14-4 in the league's inaugural regular season game on April 27, 1951, and soon other leagues were being formed throughout the state. Wisconsin leagues initially competed against leagues from other states and provinces in the early stages of the international tournament, but in 1957, the area covering Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula was divided into two districts, and the champions of these two districts met to determine the state champion.
Wisconsin grew from two districts to six by 1980, but the state's leagues continued to compete alongside leagues from Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula in the international tournament until 1982. Since that time, the champions of Wisconsin's six districts have met to determine the state's champion. Initially, this tournament used a single- or double-elimination format, but in recent years, Wisconsin's state tournament has used a round-robin format, with the top finishers in the round-robin standings then meeting to determine the state champion.
The Wisconsin state champions advance to the Great Lakes region tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Great Lakes champion advances to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
No Wisconsin league has ever participated in the Little League World Series. Wisconsin's highest finisher was the Franklin National Little League, which reached the Central Region championship game in 1990. The Escanaba JC Little League from Michigan's Upper Peninsula qualified for the Little League World Series in 1957 after playing through the Wisconsin state tournament bracket.
Click for an overview of the locations of the six Wisconsin districts, or to view a timeline showing the evolution of the Wisconsin Little League tournament structure.
--Taken from www.unpage.org/wisconsin