2026 MSBL Player Profile: Jeremy Johanski, MABL of Southern Wisconsin
By Steve LaMontia-Carlentini, MSBL Director of Communications
Originally a Packers fan, born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, 42-year-old Jeremy Johanski became a Badger fan after moving to Madison in 2010 and played in the newly formed Southern Wisconsin MABL in its inaugural year of 2011.
We asked League President Chris Jackson who he thought would be worthy of researching within the league to share their story with our MSBL members. Chris came up with one guy. After speaking with Jeremy, I can see why.
“The name that comes to mind would be Jeremy Johanski,” said Jackson. “He’s the manager who formed the Butterbats and took them out to the MSBL World Series for the first time last year.
He wears many hats and has many interesting stories, especially from his wine-related business, which has taken him to Ukraine in the last few years, even while the war is ongoing. He also plays across three divisions (Open/Open Nights/32+) and has had his best years the last few years, even as he’s aged a bit!”
Plays on three teams? Plays in the MSBL World Series? He is involved in the wine business, which takes him around the world. I couldn’t wait to get in front of this guy. So, as expected, this extremely intelligent ballplayer and entrepreneur and I had quite a conversation.
“When I arrived in 2010, a year before we became affiliated with MSBL, there was one division and just seven teams,” explained Jeremy. “There are now over 30 teams in the MABL of Southern Wisconsin across all divisions.
Just recently, 40 players came to tryouts for our Open division. We are trying to expand with new teams, but players are hesitant to manage people they have never met. We need to develop a fee structure that softens the role of the fee collector and the fee chaser. We’ll get there. We look forward to expanding the league even further very soon.”
Jeremy works in human resources for the University of Wisconsin System in Madison. What that means is that his HR department handles all University branches across the state, not just in Madison. He is also an import wine sales representative and sommelier in his spare time. (pronounced suh-mel-yay) is a trained, knowledgeable wine professional who specializes in all aspects of wine service, food pairings, and beverage management.
How did you become involved in the wine business, taking you around the world?
“I first moved to Madison a year out of college and found a posting on Craigslist for a wine associate that was unique. I had coffee with the owner, and he saw something in me. He needed me in sales, not just in a warehouse.
For two years, I worked off and on, and he always had a wine bag with wines from all over the world. He started importing wine from around the country, and they became distributors. Initially, in my part-time role, the owner asked me to talk to five customers to find out what they needed and make suggestions.
He knew me better than I knew myself. My role eventually grew. I went to Europe in 2018 and spoke with the owners of wine companies and their families. I started building relationships around the world.”
How did this lead you to visit Ukraine in the name of the wine business during wartime?
“In 2022, everyone was a little antsy, of course. I visited eight countries and their wineries within a month. I reached out to a guy from Ukraine, wrote him back, and found out he was currently in Hungary.
We arranged to meet in Budapest. The owner invited me to return to Ukraine to tour the facilities and visit a handful of small family winemakers. I ended up making three additional trips into Ukraine. It took over a year, but now we offer imported Ukrainian wine in the US.”
Circling from Chablais to the diamond, how did you become involved in participating in the MSBL World Series?
“I have played in the MSBL World Series four times. The first three times were as a free agent from the Player Pool on teams built outside of our Madison league. Most recently, in 2025, we organized our Madison league players to form our first 25+ World Series team, the Butterbats, and qualified for the weekend playoffs.
The league supplied the uniforms. I managed the team, but we had a thin roster, though rich in talent. We lost 5-4 to the eventual champions in our first game.
We went to the playoffs but got defeated in the first playoff game. I am a pitcher and, fortunately, pitched a gem and beat Emerald City from Portland. It was my best game of the year. We will definitely be making some depth improvements and additions. We learned a lot about what it takes to advance.”
The Southern Wisconsin MABL currently consists of six divisions: two for 17+ and 18+ competitors, along with 32+, 42+, 52+ brackets, and a new 62+ division for 2026!
“We recently decided to merge with a city league. Our 17+ division plays on Tuesday and Thursday for three months of the season, June, July, and August. That helps the younger kids in college. We also created a second open division for 18+-over on Sundays.
Our league goes by MABL because of the fact there are young professionals and students competing. They didn’t want people to think they were only seniors. It’s all in the branding.”
Jeremy plays for the Angels in the Sunday Open Division, along with occasional stints with teams in other divisions.
“I have played for multiple divisions and teams in the MABL of Southern Wisconsin. I first managed the Angels team after a 0-15 season, and turned them around into a championship finalist team the next year.”
Anything more to add about your baseball life thus far?
“Baseball has been a constant in my life for a very long time, since hitting wiffle balls in the backyard with my dad at 3-years-old, through school, and now into adulthood. I’m loyal to my Milwaukee Brewers and hope to someday witness them in a World Series.
Being able to compete in my adult life through the present at the same high level for the position I love (pitching) is so rewarding, as I don’t know that I’d have the same interest when I lose the ability to maintain performance standards beyond any age of competition.
Winning a game at the World Series in Arizona in 2025 was one of the most recent great moments in my baseball career. After four trips there, while previously losing most of the games with the teams I was on the rosters for, was special.
More importantly, the results were a bit addictive for most of the team, and many wish to return. We’ve committed to coming back for 2026, and many of them are out selling the experience to others in our league.”
In closing, what do you see as the best thing about your league?
We continue to see growth and positive competition in our league, especially in the younger divisions. I hope to see renewed investment in the creation and development of youth divisions to ensure the league’s health, as well as MSBL nationwide. The younger divisions are the key to success, both in our league and nationwide.
