Lakeshore Chinooks
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a baseball team based in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States and a member of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Chinooks play their home games at Kapco Park on the campus of Concordia University Wisconsin.
History
Founded in 2012, the Lakeshore Chinooks became the seventh Northwoods League team in Wisconsin. Based at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, a northern suburb of Milwaukee, the Chinooks were the first Northwoods League franchise to make its home in a major metropolitan area.The inaugural season began May 30, 2012, with a 2-1 road victory over the Green Bay Bullfrogs. The home opener was June 11, a 6-5 win over the Battle Creek Bombers.
On May 30, 2013, the Chinooks held their home opener, where Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig threw the first pitch to Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member and Chinooks minority owner Robin Yount. The Chinooks won their division, capturing their first playoff berth. They were defeated in the first round by the Madison Mallards two games to one.
In 2013, future MLB standout Harrison Bader suited up for Lakeshore. While playing for the Chinooks, Bader lived with Craig Counsell and his family at their home in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.
In 2014, the Chinooks became just the third team in league history to accumulate 50 victories, winning the organization's third-straight South Division half title. The team swept the Wisconsin Woodchucks two games to none in the division playoff to advance to the franchise's first championship appearance. Against the North Division champion Mankato MoonDogs, the Chinooks won the first game of the series in Mankato, 5–4, before returning to Mequon and completing their undefeated run through the playoffs with a 3–0 victory in game two to clinch the franchise's first-ever league championship.
On July 4, 2015, first baseman Luke Raley became the first player in league history to hit four home runs in a single game.
On July 3, 2017, shortstop Owen Miller hit for the cycle in a game against the Kalamazoo Growlers. Two days later, he hit for another cycle against Rockford Rivets, becoming the first player in league history to hit for multiple cycles.
On June 15, 2020, the Chinooks announced that they would not be participating in the first two weeks of the modified 2020 season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks later, the team cancelled their season altogether. The team returned to play in 2021.
Season-by-season records
| League | The team's final position in the league standings |
| Division | The team's final position in the divisional standings |
| GB | Games behind the division's first place team |
| League champions | |
| * | Division champions |
| ^ | Postseason berth |
Ballpark
In 2011, Kapco Inc., a metal fabrication and stamping company in Grafton, donated $1 million toward completion of Concordia University Wisconsin's new baseball field, named Kapco Park. The donation was part of a $2.7 million fund already allocated for the stadium. Concordia's baseball team uses Kapco Park in the spring.The Chinooks were the first Northwoods League franchise to make its home on a university campus. Kapco Park acknowledges the Milwaukee Brewers with its outfield dimensions; 317 feet in left for Jim Gantner, 344 to left-center for Hank Aaron, 404 to center for Paul Molitor and 319 to right for Robin Yount, the latter of whom helped design the fence.
In 2012, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association moved the State High School summer baseball tournament to Kapco Park until the tournament ended in 2018.
Kapco Park hosted the 2014 Northwoods League All-Star Game on July 22, 2014.