The Madison Hatters were a minor-league baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team based in Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, in 1994. A Class A minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

, they were a member of the Midwest League

Midwest League

The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...

. The team played its home games at Warner Park

Warner Park

Warner Park is a community park on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin near Lake Mendota. It is the annual home for the largest fireworks show in the Midwest, Rhythm and Booms....

.

Following the departure of the Madison Muskies

Madison Muskies

The Madison Muskies were a Class A minor league baseball team that played in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. They were an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics...

 after the 1993 season, the Springfield Cardinals

Springfield (IL) Cardinals

The Springfield Cardinals were a minor league baseball team located in Springfield, Illinois. The team played in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993 and was an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team played in Lanphier Park on the northside of Springfield. Affectionately known as the...

 franchise moved from Springfield, Illinois

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

 to Madison and became the Madison Hatters. The team never intended to stay in Madison for more than one season, and at the end of the 1994 campaign they moved to Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...

, where they became the Michigan Battle Cats

Michigan Battle Cats

The Michigan Battle Cats was a minor league baseball team which began playing in the Midwest League in 1995 and called C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan home. The franchise had previously been located in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994 where they were called the Madison Hatters. Prior to that...

. The team again relocated for the 2007 season to Midland, Michigan

Midland, Michigan

Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan in the Tri-Cities region of the state. It is the county seat of Midland County. The city's population was 41,863 as of the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area....

, and they are now known as the Great Lakes Loons

Great Lakes Loons

The Great Lakes Loons, based in Midland, Michigan, is a Low Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team plays in the Midwest League and their home park is Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.-History:...

.

Team history

After the 1993 season, the Madison Muskies, which had represented Madison in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993, moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

, which had constructed a new stadium, to become the West Michigan Whitecaps

West Michigan Whitecaps

The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.-Franchise history:...

. As a replacement, Madison obtained the Springfield Cardinals franchise, which was renamed the Madison Hatters.

The team played well during the first half of 1994, finishing in second place in the seven-team Southern Division with a 37–33 record, just one game behind the Springfield Sultans. In the second half, however, their performance dropped off as they finished in fifth place with a 29–40 record. Joe Cunningham was the manager. Two players—outfielder Joe McEwing

Joe McEwing

Joseph Earl McEwing is a former Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career with the New York Mets, where he played from through . Nicknamed "Super Joe", he was the prototypical utility player who could play any position on the field well...

 and pitcher Jay Witasick

Jay Witasick

Gerald Alphonse "Jay" Witasick, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his major league debut on July 7, as a member of the A's versus the California Angels...

—were named to the league's post-season all-star team. McEwing hit .324 with 4 home runs and 47 runs batted in, while Witasick went 10–4 with a 2.32 earned run averaged and 141 strikeouts.. Jeff Matulevich led the league with 30 saves.

Attendance was weak for the Hatters, with total attendance for the season of 69,060 (11th in the 14-team league), down from the 101,219 attending the Muskies' games the previous season. By September, the city of Battle Creek had committed to stadium improvements to bring the Hatters to their city, and the Midwest League departed from Madison.