South Dakota amateur baseball Hall of Fame to add five
The South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame will add five members to its class in 2022.
Chris Brown of Brandon, Ron Baker and Jay Kusler of Sioux Falls, Gary Kortan of Tabor and the late Warren Scherschligt of Lesterville will be honored on Aug. 6 during the state tournament at Cadwell Park in Mitchell and during a Hall of Fame banquet Nov. 5 in Tabor.
Chris Brown, an infielder from Green Isle, Minnesota, who was a Division II All-American at South Dakota State, was a key cog in the Brookings Cubs dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Batting leadoff and manning shortstop, Brown was a part of five state titles, five runner-up finishes and also played on a state championship team in Minnesota. He batted .382 in his Cubs career.
Ron Baker played 18 seasons from 1968-86 — seven in Scotland and 11 in Freeman — and played in the state tournament each year, either for his own team or as a pickup player.
He batted .526 to lead Scotland to the 1975 Class B title, and once hit 21 home runs in a single season.
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Gary Kortan, the state's Legion player of the year in 1987, played more than 25 years of amateur baseball, primarily with his hometown Tabor Bluebirds, where he was manager for much of that time. He played in 20 state tournaments and seven years for the South Dakota Rushmores of the men's Senior Baseball League team that won the 2007 World Series.
Jay Kusler spent 22 years as a player and manager, 16 with Aberdeen and six with Redfield Dairy Queen. He batted over .350 in his tenure in Aberdeen and .416 in his time with Redfield, where he also went 32-8 on the mound.
A member of the Northern State Hall of Fame, Kusler also played in the men's Senior Baseball League World Series 12 times and managed the South Dakota team that won the title in 2007.
Warren Scherschligt played 19 seasons of amateur baseball, one for Chamberlain and 18 for his hometown team of Lesterville. A good glove man in center field and later at first base, Scherschligt batted over .400 three times, finished with a career average of .382 and twice hit three homers in a single game. He died in 2019.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota amateur baseball Hall of Fame to add five
