BAKER, SCHERSCHLIGHT TO BE INDUCUTED SATURDAY NIGHT
Ron Baker and the late Warren Scherschlight, both of whom have ties to Freeman baseball, will be inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Hall of Fame during a banquet scheduled for Saturday night, Nov. 5 at Beseda Hall in Tabor. A social hour starts at 5:30 p.m. and a roast beef dinner and induction ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by calling 605-661-4889.
Baker, a Scotland native and former coach at Freeman High School, played 18 years of amateur baseball from 1968 to 1986 — seven with Scotland and 11 with Freeman. Baker’s batting average of .526 in the 1975 State Amateur Baseball Tournament help lead Scotland to the championship. The second baseman was a consistent .400 hitter with power throughout his career, which was highlighted by a 21-home run season.
Scherschligt, who passed away in 2019, spent 18 of his 19 seasons playing amateur ball for his hometown of Lesterville and was a pickup player with Canova team that won consecutive state championships. He batted over .400 three times in his career and, in the final year of his career at age 38, led the South Central League in batting with a .387 average while playing errorless first base. He also hit for power, twice going long three times in a game.
Warren’s sons, Brett, Lee and Allan, have all played amateur baseball for Freeman.
Joining Baker and Scherchlight as this year’s class are Chris Brown of Brandon, Jay Kusler of Sioux Falls, and Gary Kortan of Tabor.
Freeman is well-represented in the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located in Lake Norden. Past inductees include Joe Walters (Class of 1964), Milt Mehlhaf (1989), Marlan Wollman (1996), Larry Andersen (2016) and Bob Pidde (2021).
