NEW ULM — New Ulm and Gaylord’s bid to host the 2023 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament failed Saturday as the Minnesota Baseball Association (MBA) awarded that tournament — the 100th annual tournament — to Delano-Dassel and Litchfield.

Also bidding were St.Cloud-Cold Spring-Watkins along with Jordan-Belle Plaine-Green Isle.

“I am disappointed,” New Ulm Baseball Association President Bob Skillings said. “I felt that we made a good presentation. They (MBA) mentioned that with it being the 100th anniversary that baseball history was going to be very important to them. And who has a more historical baseball tradition than New Ulm so I thought that that was a real positive for us.”

Skillings said that he thought before the bid that there still may have been some negativity or pushback toward New Ulm because of what happened last summer. New Ulm was scheduled to host the 2020 Minnesota Sfate Amateur Tournament but the New Ulm City Council, citing health concerns because of COVID-19, denied the use of Johnson and Mueller Parks, which are both owned by the city.

“But it did not seem that way — it seemed like (MBA) had moved on,” Skillings said. “So going away from there I felt pretty good. But I guess it is what it is.”

Looking in the rear view mirror, Skillings said that not having the 2020 tournament in New Ulm “was very disappointing. The committee involved in that put four years of their lives into it. I personally had several sleepless nights making sure that New Ulm was ready for it. It was a big disappointment and now that we are not getting the 2023 tournament, it is regretful because it would have been a great experience for our community.”

When asked if New Ulm and Gaylord would bid this fall for the 2024 tournament, Skillings said that he did not know.

“That decision wil be up to the New Ulm Baseball Association and those who were involved in our last bid. Right now there has not been any decision made about that.”

Skillings added that in a recent poll, out of the top 100 baseball parks in Minnesota, Johnson Park was ranked seventh overall.