NEW ULM — On Friday, April 16 in St. Cloud, New Ulm Baseball Association President Bob Skillings along with members of the NUBA and Bill Schulte, President of the Gaylord Baseball Association will be making a formal bid for the 2023 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Association Tournament.

Gaylord would be the third site in the bid for the 100th Anniversary State Tournament.

The Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Board will make the award for the tournament at their meeting on Saturday, April 17.

New Ulm was to be the site of the 2020 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament before the New Ulm City Council voted to not allow the tournament at either Johnson or Mueller Parks because of health concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, which moved the games to Springfield and Milroy.

“We are putting together a paper presentation similar to our presentation we did in 2016 (for the 2020 State Tournament) and we want to show the Johnson Park video made by Jack Beranek and John Guggisberg,” Skillings said.

He said that he had talked with Schulte and Schulte and another member of the Gaylord Baseball Association will accompany the New Ulm group.

“Gaylord will have a letter stating their interest in being the third site and had last hosted a state tournament in 2009,” Skillings said. “We in addition to the paper and video presentations have Letters of Support from the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, the City of New Ulm, New Ulm Legion Baseball Program.”

In other news, if you loved the food at the concession stand at Johnson and Mueller Parks last season, all of favorites will be back along with new items like mini-doughnuts and mozzarella sticks.

Sunday, May 23, the New Ulm Brewers host Hanska and that is the tentative date when the late Jess Roiger will be honored at Johnson Park. More details are forthcoming.

The Johnson Park Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting will be at 4 p.m. on June 20 at 4 p.m. when the Brewers host Stark.

And on that day, a plaque honoring Fred Johnson will be unveiled. “The funding for the plaque came from the New Ulm Area Foundation,” Skillings said.

And on Sunday, July 11, the New Ulm Baseball Association will add four more honorees in former players Chris Cariveau and Ryan Walters and non-players Bob “Biscuits” Scarf and Mike French.

Finally, those who attend a game at Johnson Park will see new patio furniture to enjoy at the two patio sites and on the Schell’s Party Deck.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS: The New Ulm Baseball Association also added new board members in Todd and Shelly Hoffmann along with Kevin Fischer and Rick Traulich.