Northerners 70+ team places 3rd in Winter World Championships

The Wisconsin Northerners 70s Senior Softball team, which includes several players from the Eagle River area, recently competed in the SSUSA’s Winter World Championships and finished third in the 70+AAA double-elimination tournament.
The three-day tournament was held in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov.14-16, which marked the beginning of the 2025 season for the Northerners. There were 197 teams in all age groups from 50+ to 85+, 14 of which competed in the 70+AAA division.
On the first day of the tourney, the Northerners beat Arizona Full Throttle 70s, 26-15, and lost to AZ Road Brawlers, 19-10, placing them in the No. 8 seed position. In bracket play on day two, the Northerners beat three teams; Colorado Peak Softball, 19-11, Colorado Scrap Iron 5280’, 28-22, and Texas Good Times Trucking, 21-12, placing the Northerners in the winner’s bracket.
On day three, the Northerners lost to the other undefeated team in the winner’s bracket, Team Texas-San Antonio, by a score of 18-3. They then lost to the winners of the losers bracket, Arizona Old School 70s, by a score of 19-10. In the championship game, Team Texas remained undefeated, beating Arizona Old School 20-19.
Three players from the Northerners were voted to the All-Tournament Team for outstanding defensive play and offensive contributions. They were Mike Ruzic from Lake Tomahawk, Steve Maley from Waverly, Iowa, and Larry Bartels from Baldwin, Iowa. The Northerners finished with a .646 team batting average.
Other players on the team included player/coach-manager Steve Favorite of Eagle River, Ben Gumm of Eagle River, Tod Niemuth from Rhinelander, Rollie Johnson of Waupaca, Bob Mathe from Oshkosh, Bill Kroschel of St. Paul, Minn., Charlie Milliren from Owen, Duane Meth of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Scott Benash from Janesville, Jimmy Hannula of Osseo and Craig Mittelstaedt from Oshkosh.
The next winter tournament for the Northerners will be in Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 16-17, 2025. The spring tournament season begins in the midwest in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 15-16, 2025.