Although Post 106 had American Legion Baseball back in the 1940,’s through the 1950’s and into the 1960’s there was a brief time when they didn’t field a team. Three individuals led by legionnaires Lloyd “Gabby” Kraft, and Russ Hanseter along with a member of the Seymour City Council, Al Doepker attended a league organization meeting at Post 38 in Appleton, WI. They were there to ask that Post 106 be allowed to participate in the upcoming Legion baseball season.
After some agreement as to acceptable conditions Don Hawkin’s who chaired that meeting told us we would be allowed to participate that year, it was 1970. We had a coach, Peter King, and assistant Vernon Lubinski, Gabby Kraft served as general manager, and a team consisting of sixteen players. We had a good season and ended up at the 1970 State American Legion Baseball Tournament at Carson Park, Eau Claire, WI.
Although we won only one game of the three we played in that tournament, Seymour in its first year back in the league was selected to receive the Sportsmanship Trophy. That trophy is displayed proudly in our Post home today. The banquet speaker was Billy Martin a fiery ball player and respected major league coach. The teams players were John Everson, Pete Hartlaben, Charles Heike, Steve Hill, Bernie Huettl, Peter King, Tony Kraft, Bob Lubinski, Mike Main, Tom Main, Pat Murphy, Jim Niespodzany, Dale Skenandore, Jim Wickesberg, Robert Wolk, and Rodney Redecki, Russ S. Hanseter was the batboy.
Two players on that team came back to coach our Legion team, Tony Kraft and Jim Niespodzany who has now coached our team for the past 13 years.
The Post has established a baseball scholarship to be awarded to a high school senior playing with the team in his senior year of eligibility. The award selected by the coaches is in the amount of $500.00.
