A second story on some of Watertown best Legion and high school baseball players since 1984

Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December of 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas. The series recently received a second-place honor in the Best Sports Series (for multi-day publications) in the 2023 SDNA Better News Media Contest).

As promised, here is the second "20 Favorites" installment on Watertown Post 17 American Legion and high school baseball. The first installment came out Thursday.

The first story include many all-state honorees and even some Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame inductees from these past 40 years.

This story also includes some all-state players and others. I took the liberty to add some others I really remembered either from my playing career or my umpiring career. Don't worry about the order, it wasn't significant here.

I've included others in a huge picture gallery online, players I remember and just good photos. There are so many others who I could have listed.

Up next in the series will be a look at area girls high school track.

20. Mitch Trego and Jonny Pfeifer

Here's two sons from Aberdeen natives (Curt Trego and Pat Pfeifer). I played VFW, Legion, college and amateur baseball against Curt and also played amateur ball with Curt in Watertown. I also played softball against Curt and with Pat. Both were standout players.

Their sons were also pretty talented and both played for Post 17 in the early 2010s. Pfeifer played the infield and could hit. Trego pitched and also could hit.

19. The Lohrs and the Lachers

I'm talking about Chad and Jon Lohr and the Lacher brothers (Braxton, Kolby and Austin).

Chad Lohr was a good hitter and first baseman on Watertown Post 17's state runner-up team in 1998 and Jon played later, batting over .400 one year for Post 17. Chad's son Gage is now a two-time state champion and a recent national champion wrestler. Chad and Jon aren't brothers but could be related. Jon became a police officer in Sioux Falls.

Braxton is a recent Post 17 graduate, a catcher who played baseball for at least a year at Dakota State and now is playing football. Kolby came up through the system and I believe played a year of Legion ball. Austin is the last in line and he'll be playing for the VFW Post 750 Red Sox this summer. I played softball against their father Kenny.

18. Cole, Dylan and Dawsyn Wirkus

Dylan and Dawsyn are brothers and I believe Cole could be related somehow. They all played baseball for Post 17 teams in the mid-2010s.

Cole became a pretty talented left-handed hurler and Dylan had success as a right-hander on the mound. Dawsyn was a catcher who ended up playing around the diamond.

17. The Sheehans

Let's go back to the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s for the Sheehan brothers Bobby, Dave, Brent and Jeff.

Bobby actually graduated before I arrived but I did play amateur baseball with Bobby, Brent and Dave and softball against Jeff, who is now the head football coach at Hamlin High School. Dave didn't play for Post 17 but the other three did.

The Sheehans were talented and competitive. They didn't like to lose.

15. The Pickrels

I'm not talking about the older Pickrel brothers Steve, Jeff, Randy and Craig. Like the Sheehans, these guys were talented and competitive and for the most part, by the time I arrived, they basically played fastpitch softball. I played some amateur baseball with Craig in Watertown and he could hit in either sport.

I know for certain that their children Dustin, Aaron and Jason all played for Post 17, if not others. Jason played in the early 2000s and cousins Dusty and Aaron later in the decade. Watching Aaron play has proved my theory that high school wrestlers make for good baseball players. He was good at both sports.

15. Lawrences and Reinschmidts

For much of my time at the Public Opinion, Paul Reinschmidt was in charge of our circulation department and later hired Ron Lawrence to help.

Paul's sons Aaron and Curtis each played for Post 17. Aaron was on the 1998 state runner-up team. My best memory of Curt is playing amateur baseball with him. We had a pretty average team one year and the team hit only one homer all season. It was the first career homer that Curt had ever hit and it came in Sisseton. That was cool.

Ron's sons Ryan and Rod Lawrence also played for Post 17, both primarily as third basemen and pitchers. Ryan was also on the 1998 state runner-up team. Rod played in the early-to-mid 2000s. They were both good players.

14. The Bierscheids

Gene Bierscheid is a good friend and former foe in VFW and Legion baseball and a teammate in amateur baseball. We spent a lot of time on the diamond from the late 1970s to 1990s. Gene pitched minor league baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1987 and I believe got to ptich against Sammy Sosa. He was an inaugural inductee into the Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021.

His sons Zack, Cooper and Lucas each played a lot of baseball in Watertown and were on Post 17 teams. I know Zack and Lucas each pitched and I got to believe Cooper did some too.

13. The VanLaeckens

Spending 40 years doing something is a dangerous thing, especially if the mind doesn't cooperate. I remember things and then I don't remember things. So here I got testing my memory.

Brothers Ryan (mid-1980s) and Rob (late 1990s) both played for Post 17 before growing up be orthodontists in Watertown. Ryan was a lefty-hitting and throwing outfielder. Rob played the infield.

Ryan's sons Josh and Nate also both played for Post 17 in the mid-to-late 2000s. Nate now works with his father and uncle in the family business.

12. The Schmidts

After retiring from amateur baseball in 2004, I started umpiring baseball again and it seems like most of the time has been spent umping the Schmidt brothers: Trey, Parker, Dawson and Carter.

They could all play. Trey was the left-swinging third baseman. Parker and Dawson I believe played just about everywhere. Carter, who I believe graduates this spring, didn't play for Post 17 but did play for a number of WBA teams. They all could hit.

At the risk of alienating my good relationship with Parker, I just want to say that in my mind Dawson is one of the best all-around athletes I've seen during my time in Watertown.

11. Holdens and Juttings

Brothers Blake and Cole Holden are recent graduates from the Post 17 program and are now playing college football (Blake at USD and Cole at DWU).

Blake is now a 300-pound defensive lineman but he could move for his size. In 2016, he helped Watertown win the state A Junior Legion title in Watertown and was named the MVP and Big Stick Award winner in the tourney. He primarily was a pitcher and first baseman. Cole, the much-tinier brother, is a pretty gifted athlete who played all over the diamond in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

Trevor and Derek Jutting are sons of former Watertown teacher and coach Todd Jutting, a Watertown native and amatuer baseball teammate of mine for many years in Watertown. I know Derek played VFW ball in the mid-2000s and some amateur ball later, but I'm not sure if he played for Post 17. Trevor did play for Post 17 in the early-to-mid 2010s and later played college baseball at Mount Marty.

10. More Brothers (Moes, Wookeys and Schoenfelds)

They are Matt and Mich Moes, Hunter and Tucker Wookey and Brett and Ryan Schoenefeld.

The Schoenefelds are the sons of Dale Schoenefeld, another amateur baseball teammate of mine in Watertown. They played in the early-to-mid 2000s. I think one of the brothers earned a win on the mound over Rapid City Post 22, which may have been the program's first over the state powerhouse.

More: Moes family celebrates another state VFW title

Matt Moes, primarily a first baseman, and Mitch Moes, a lefty-hitting outfielder, played for Post 17 in the early-to-mid 2010s. Their father Tim played on a 1971 state VFW championship team in Watertown. Matt (2009) and Mitch (2011) added VFW titles with Watertown Red Sox teams. Mitch later played at Northern State.

Hunter and Tucker Wookey are the sons of former Watertown teacher and coach Brent Wookey, a lifelong friend of umpires (just kidding). Hunter played for Post 17 in the mid-2010s and Tucker came around later. Both brothers pitched and played the infield.

9. Wade and Ryan Heiser

I believe they are cousins and talented pitchers for Post 17 (Wade in the late 1980s and Ryan in the early 2000s). Wade was an amateur baseball teammate in Castlewood late in my career and Ryan ran an amateur team in Watertown for a few years.

Both weren't overpowering, but they each won some big games. They knew how to pitch.

8. The Julius Brothers

Their father Chad was once a fellow Public Opinon employee. Jordan, the oldest son, played high school baseball for Watertown. Kyler, the youngest, came up through the VFW program but didn;'t play for Post 17.

The middle son, Cole, played both many years for both the high school and Post 17 teams. He was primarily a shortstop and earned second team Class A all-state high school honors in 2014 after batting .373. He later played at the University of Sioux Falls.

20 Favorites: Links to the stories highlighting the best northeastern South Dakota athletes since 1984

7. The Staceys and Justin Larson

Darrell and Jackie Stacey were longtime administors/teachers in the Watertown School District and their two sons Taylor and Logan each played a lot of baseball here. Justin's father Tim works in orthodpedics at the Prairie Lakes Speciality Clinic here and I believe was a former Rapid City Post 22 baseball player.

These three are among my most favorite ballplayers in Watertown. Here's why. Taylor and Justin I believe both started out on the White Sox, Watertown's 13-14 team before becoming top-notch players by the team they hit Post 17. Taylor became a middle-of-the-order stud. Justin, a left-handed pitcher, could barely get the ball to the plate as a 13-year-old and definitely threw the ball much harder as he physically matured.

Some players just develop later so it's good to give them an opportunity to stay in the program.

I know Logan played up through Junior Legion, but I'm not sure if he played Legion. I think I was told he had some eye issues, but somehow was still a pretty good player.

6. Nathan Mack, Ricky Hannach and Ben Holter

These guys are earned some all-state mention for Watertown high school baseball teams. Hannah received honorable mention as an outfielder in 2014 (batting.300) and first-team honors as an outfielder in 2015 (batting .368).

Mack garnered first team Class A all-state honors as an outfielder in 2007 and Holter received honorable mention as a pitcher in 2014 (recording a 2.58 ERA).

5. Tate Johnson, Nick Geffre, Brayden Shriver, Harry Jones & Sean Langner

Some more of my favorites, just players I got along with during my umping career.

Shriver, a first baseman and pitcher, was a key played on the 2016 State A Junior Legion champions and earned second team Class A all-state honors as a first baseman in 2018. Geffre, now an assitant coach for Post 17, was another first baseman. Harry played first baseman on the Post 750 Red Sox state championship team in 2011 and later moved up to Post 17.

Catching the vibe, here. A base umpire in baseball often has time to visit with first basemen when no one is on base. Three great kids here. I won't reveal what was talked about during those discussions.

Langner played in the early 2010s and Johnson in the mid-2010s and they were two of the fastest players for Post 17 over the past 10-15 years. They also had great personalities and were fun to umpire.

There's so many more that fit the ball, players like Micah Kauffman, Bubba Spiering, Nate Boes, Tyler Fairchild, etc.

4. Jeremy VanHeel, Travis Alvine & Sean Wahl

VanHeel, Alvine and Wahl all played for Post 17 in the early 2000s and I wasn't umpiring yet and didn't always see all their games.

VanHeel has went on to enjoy a very successful career as a baseball coach. He leads Brandon Valley's high school and American Legion teams. His father Marty has been inducted into the Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame and his Jeremy's brother Jesse also played at least VFW Baseball here.

Alvine played shortstop in the early 2000s and was a talented all-around athlete (also football, hockey, tennis) who played a year of baseball at the University of North Dakota.

Sean was a left-handed pitcher, with some good lineage. If I'm not mistaken, his grandfather Kermit Wahl played 11 seasons of Major League baseball in the 1940s anjd 1950s. Kermit's son Scott (Sean's dad) was a longtime food services or nutrition director for the Watertown School District. Hope I got that right.

3. Andy York, Erick Wientjes, Bobby Gasper & Jim Harrington

Rest in piece friends, teammates and colleagues.

York caught for VFW and Legion baseball teams in Watertown in the early-to-mid 1990s and became a good friend and fellow umpire before passing away in a car crash last spring. Umpires across the state wore pins in his honor. He also was a former amateur baseball teammate. He really knew his baseball.

Wientjes was an infiedler-pitcher for Post 17 in the mid-1990s and also was an amateur baseball teammate. He later became a Watertown fireman before losing a battle with cancer in 2013.

Gasper played for Post 17 in the early 2000s and also passed away unexpectedly in 2023.

In my research I came across a photo that included Harrington, a good umpire who collapsed and died while umpring a high school game in Watertown in 2007.

More: WHS pitcher Wieseler throwing again after surgery

2. Connor Fransen, Brody Ries, Dominic Wieseler & Jerod Cyrus

As an umpire, many times you have the dish. You're the ump calling balls and strikes. These guys were some of the best pitchers that made my job easier.

Fransen and Ries each pitched for Post 17 in the mid-2010s, Wieseler in the late 2000s and Cyrus in the early 2000s. Ries and Wieseler each also pitched at Mount Marty and Cyrus is a current pitcher at Southwest Minnesota State.

One of my all-time favorite games came when Wieseler was pitching for the Red Sox and he led the team to a 1-0 seven-inning victory in a game that lasted less than 75 minutes.

Fransen's cousin Jared also pitched and was a standout on the Watertown Junior Legion team in 2018. The son of my golf partner Brad, he didn't play for Post 17.

1. Walter, Silliman, Padgett, Slaathaug and Trumm

Make that Jay Walter, Tim Silliman, Dustin Padgett, Travis Slaathaug and Cody Trumm. I wasn't able to find a photo of Arvid Amdahl, a hard-throwing pitcher for Post 17 in the mid-1980s.

It's easy to talk about guys who have played in recent years because your memory is so fresh but I saved these mostly mid-1980s and early-1990s guys for last. There's some interesting stories behind each of them.

Walter was a heavyweight wrestler for the Watertown High School who doubled a powerful middle-of-the-order hitter for Watertown Post 17. He hit 13 homers in 1986 and I wrote a story on how Walter had hoped to hit a home run when the team played a game in the Metrodome. I believe he got a double but no homer.

Silliman and Padgett were Post 17 players in the early 1990s and later amateur teammates. I felt bad that I didn't put Silliman in the "20 Favorites" stories on Watertown basketball and football, but he was a pretty good all-around athlete. Silly and Dusty taught me everything I needed to know about how to play SEGA Genesis NHL 95. The things we remember.

Travis Slaathaug was a Wilmot kid who played Legion ball in Wilmot and Sisseton before coming to Watertown in 1993. He had to win a challenge to continuing playing for Post 17. State rules stated that a player was required to play in the next closest town that sponsored a team, but Slaathaug was granted a waiver request by the State American Legion Baseball Commission and allowed to finish the season with Watertown. He was hard-thrower on the mound and also could hit a bit.

Cody Trumm didn't have the same battle, but I believe he was a Hamlin kid that came to play for Post 17 in the early 2000s. Saw a television excerpt this week that reminded me he's now a police officer in Watertown. He was a good player and now he's a good cop.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 Favorites series takes a second look at Watertown baseball