Dan Kapanke
Dan KapankeTeam Owner

Dan was born and raised on a small dairy farm in nearby Coon Valley, Wisconsin where he developed a love for the game of baseball. As a young boy, Dan loved to watch and play baseball. Believe it or not, in the middle of school, Dan and his friends skipped their classes to watch the 1960 Yankees vs. Pirates World Series Game 7. In addition to playing and watching the game, he coached youth baseball in the La Crosse area for 15 years. Knowing that baseball has long been a fixture and passion to the people of La Crosse, Kapanke and his wife Ruth turned dreams into reality when they decided to bring the La Crosse Loggers to Copeland Park in 2003.

Being a UW-La Crosse graduate in Economics and Political Science, Dan became heavily involved in local politics and is well-known throughout the community. Dan was elected to the State Senate in November of 2004 and represented the 32nd District in Wisconsin until 2011. Along with his involvement in the political realm, Dan has over 30 years of experience in the agriculture business. You can find Dan throughout Copeland Park during Logger’s home games, taking in the experience with fans and tossing peanuts into the stands. The love of Dan’s life, Ruth, has put up with Dan for 50 years! Dan and Ruth have a family of 4 children and 12 grandchildren.

Ruth Kapanke
Ruth KapankeTeam Owner

Ruth has been Dan’s life partner for 50 years and is happy to participate in all things “Loggers”. Her biggest joy and privilege is training and working with our staff. As a staff developer, her main goal is to ensure that we treat others the way we would want to be treated.

Ruth recently retired from a very rewarding career in nursing, which has allowed her more free time to spend with her 12 grandchildren! She loves to read and, along with Logger Dog, was instrumental in the creation of Logger Dog’s Reading Incentive Program. As the program grows, she hopes kids will develop a deep love for reading. With the couple’s 4 children, their spouses and grandkids all close by, life is busy and fulfilling for Ruth and Dan.

Chris Goodell
Chris GoodellPresident

Chris Goodell is enjoying his 25th season in the Northwoods League and has been involved with the La Crosse Loggers since their inception in 2003. After serving as the General Manager for sixteen seasons, Goodell moved into the role of Team President prior to the 2019 season. During Goodell’s tenure, La Crosse has ranked top-five in summer collegiate attendance during each of the team’s first 17 seasons of existence and is one of only two summer collegiate teams to draw over 100,000 fans for eleven consecutive seasons. Goodell also had the honor of receiving the prestigious Northwoods League Executive of the Year Award on two separate occasions, in 2004 and 2012.

Along with helping lead the business side of the Loggers, Goodell also spearheads the player recruitment and advancement for the club. 28 former Loggers (to-date) have received “The Call” up to the big leagues since 2003 including the likes of Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Matt Chapman, Lars Nootbaar and more. Hundreds of other alums have been drafted into professional baseball with the Loggers annually having one of the top draft classes in the Northwoods League. Goodell has also had the privilege of working with two former Logger coaches who are now in Major League Baseball (Andy Mckay – Seattle Mariners, Ethan Katz – Chicago White Sox) as well as a pair of former players who are also coaches in the bigs (Pete Woodworth – Seattle Mariners, Justin Toole – Seattle Mariners).

Prior to La Crosse, Goodell served as the Assistant General Manager with the Waterloo Bucks for three-plus seasons (1999-2001), during which Waterloo made three consecutive playoff appearances and broke the national record for attendance in a single season for summer collegiate baseball in 2001.

Following his tenure in Waterloo, Goodell stepped away from the Northwoods League for one year, while staying involved in the sports business. He worked as a sales executive for the ESPN Radio and ABC television affiliate (KCRG-TV 9) in northeast Iowa. During that same time, Goodell also served as the official statistician for the Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball Club, the Class A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.

Goodell currently resides in Holmen, Wisconsin, with his wife Shannon. The couple have three children: Carson (23), Hayden (19) and Adalyn (17).

Goodell was also a board member of the UW-La Crosse “L Club” and formerly served on the Junior Achievement board, La Crosse Area Sports Commission, and Holmen Viking Wrestling Club board. In 2009 and 2012, Goodell was named the La Crosse Tribune “Sports Person of the Year”.

Ben Kapanke
Ben KapankeGeneral Manager

Ben Kapanke is in the midst of his 19th season with the Loggers and his sixth as the team’s General Manager after serving as the Assistant General Manager over the previous ten seasons. Ben has been with the Loggers full-time since the 2005 season. Ben helps oversee the day-to-day operations and is heavily involved with sponsorship sales, coordinating the events at Copeland Park & Events Center, the Loggers concession operations, as well as the team’s finances.

As the orchestrator of Copeland Park & Events Center, Kapanke has spearheaded national concert acts such as Stone Temple Pilots, Walker Hayes, Lee Brice, Jarrod Niemann, Gin Blossoms, Theory of a Deadman, Chevelle, Three Days Grace and more. Furthermore, his work in the community has helped garner local festivals and events to be hosted at Copeland Park & Events Center including the likes of Oktoberfest Events, WingFest, BaconFest, corporate movie nights, BassMaster Elite Fishing Series and more.

Ben has been involved with the Northwoods League since 2002 when he served as an umpire after attending the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring. Ben is the youngest son of Dan & Ruth Kapanke and is married to his wife Elizabeth. The couple resides on French Island with their two sons, Evan and Drew, and daughter Paige.

Magann Dykema
Magann DykemaDirector of Group Sales

Magann Dykema, originally from Norton Shores, Michigan, grew up watching baseball with her grandma, going to games with her uncle, and cheering on her favorite teams with her mom. While receiving her bachelor’s from Michigan Technological University and her master’s from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, she discovered her true passion is in building memorable experiences for people. She is excited to be returning to the La Crosse Loggers for her second season as the Director of Group Sales and pairing her customer service, events, and promotions background with her love of baseball! If you see her around, ask her about her MLB Ballpark bucket list and what her favorite baseball experiences have been.