Update provided on Carl Kuss Field renovation project
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| Doug Hall speaks during the West Bend Baseball Association's Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 9 at The Columbian. |
By Nicholas Dettmann
WEST BEND, Wis. – All Doug Hall wanted was new dugouts.
On March 9, he was recognized for more than just getting new
dugouts. He was honored for being behind the group that has helped preserve the
rich history of baseball in West Bend – the West Bend Baseball Association.
He was a pretty good baseball player and overall athlete,
too.
Hall was one of the three inductees during the eighth annual
WBBA Wall of Fame induction ceremony at The Columbian. Joining him in the class
of 2019 was Tom Meisenheimer and Vic Seefeldt. But, one could argue, a night
like the one on March 9 wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Hall’s
contribution.
“We just wanted new dugouts,” Hall said during his Wall of
Fame induction speech, while wearing his West Bend Company jersey from the 2001
season.
In the early 2000s, several upgrades were needed on the
baseball field, such as new dugouts and fencing. So, he and several others,
including fellow WBBA Wall of Fame inductee Brad Burns (class of 2015)
approached city officials about getting assistance with funding to do just
that. They got a hard no.
Hall worked with attorney Charles Williams to help establish
the WBBA as a nonprofit organization and became the organization’s first
president. During his tenure, he and the WBBA made many improvements to Carl
Kuss Field at Regner Park, which included new dugouts. Other signs of growth of
the organization include an annual scholarship for East and West baseball players,
as well as service awards, such as the Prudence Pick Hway Philanthropy Award
(won by Nick Winter this year) and the Mark Scholz Award of Merit Scholarship
(won by Zach Biermann).
“It’s gotten a lot bigger than I ever would’ve imagined,”
Hall said.
Hall has been involved in baseball in some way for more than
half a century, starting with the West Bend Recreation Department when he was 8
years old. He played baseball with his brothers whenever the opportunity arose
and doing that, he said, was one of his fondest memories growing up in West
Bend.
He got hooked to baseball for good when in 1972 – often serving
as a bat boy – the Spartans won the WIAA summer baseball state championship,
coached by WBBA Wall of Famer Jim Cahoon. One player from that team he looked
up to was Bill Lechner. He was 10 years old at that time.
“He was a great four-sport athlete,” Hall said. “He was a
second baseman and pitcher on that team. Bill would pick me up and I’d go to
the games and think this is the coolest thing on Earth; we’ve got a big-time
baseball team.”
To Hall, Lechner was like a celebrity. He was also a mentor.
“He wanted to spend time with us; he really enjoyed working
with kids, showing us how to play sports,” Hall said. “I thought, ‘Maybe
someday I could do that.’ He was quite an inspiration.”
At West, Hall was a three-sport athlete, also playing
football and hockey. But upon graduation from high school, his mind, his heart
was set on baseball. He joined the Barton baseball club in 1980. In 1983, he
made the All-Star team, hitting .367 with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs.
Then, in 1988, he made one of the biggest contributions in
the history of West Bend baseball with the founding of the West Bend Company
baseball team. Today, that team is known as the West Bend 7 UP. The team won
the Land O’ Lakes Northern Division eight times between 1994to 2004. Hall was a
player and/or manager for those teams. In 17 years with the team, the team was
237-64 and won the Grand Championship in 2001 and 2002, becoming the first West
Bend team to accomplish that feat since 1935.
Hall also formed the Sunday Night “Old-Timers” baseball
league, which is still active today.
“It means a lot,” Hall said of the induction.
For Meisenheimer, he’ll be remembered for his off-the-field
contributions to West Bend baseball.
After moving to West Bend in 1970, he joined the Amity
softball team. Later, from 1971 to 1973, while working for The Threshold, he
was responsible for raising money for the organization, which included the
annual Lithia Benefit Game, featuring the Lithia against Barton.
In 1992, Meisenheimer got involved in the West Bend Little
League, eventually serving on the organization’s committees and later the
Board. He also was behind the formation of the West Bend Warrior youth
traveling baseball team, which has enjoyed plenty of success over the years.
Meisenheimer joined the WBBA in 2005 as its secretary. Also
that year, he began work with the West varsity baseball team, setting up 50/50
raffles at games and hitting groundballs in the Skygarden at the high schools
during the winter. He also coordinated bus trips to see the Spartans play in
the WIAA summer baseball state tournament in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Later, he
joined AM1470 (WBKV) as a color analyst.
“I feel very humbled,” he said of his induction.
Seefeldt will long be remembered for his hitting, especially
his power. He averaged 10-15 home runs per season, culminating in more than 100
home runs during a 14-year playing career with the West Bend Lithia. He was
also efficient at the plate, hitting near .350 in that span.
On June 18, 1968, Seefeldt hit home runs on each of his
first four at-bats in a game against Horicon. He was hit by a pitch in his
fifth at-bat. He followed with a double and a single, finishing 6-for-6 with 8
RBIs.
“It’s an honor,” he said, before fighting back tears as he
thought and gave credit to his family for their support.
The other award winners were Matt Parrent of West Bend 7 UP
(Area Player of the Year) and Adam Rohlinger of the 7 UP (Area Manager of the
Year). Also, the 7 UP was recognized as the Land O’ Lakes Grand Champion for
the fourth time in team history.
The latest on Carl Kuss Field renovation
Craig Larsen, project manager for the Carl Kuss Field at
Regner Park renovation project, provided an update during the ceremony.
He said there is enough funding to start work on the playing
field, but funds are still needed for other aspects of the project, including
the concession stands and the grandstands.
Construction is hoped to start by mid-August.
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