Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Mueller Park and Johnson Park in New Ulm could play host for next year’s Division 1 American Legion State Baseball Tournament. The New Ulm Legion Baseball Committee is currently putting together a proposal to host next year’s state tourney.

NEW ULM — New Ulm’s Johnson and Mueller Parks could very well see a state tournament next summer.

“The New Ulm Legion Baseball Committee is putting a proposal together to host the 2024 DI State American Legion Baseball Tournament,” John Fischer, President of the New Ulm Legion Baseball Committee, said. “We have been in discussions with them for the past three to four months. Currently they do not have a host for the tournament. We have been working with them because our initial financial budget struggled to show a surplus.

“Our committee is very interested in hosting but we are working with the state to make sure this is beneficial to both us and them. Our first analysis did not show a surplus or profit. Our committee said that we are stewards of their money.”

Fischer said that the next step in this process will be further discussions.

“I went to the first meeting in April and we will have a second round of discussions in early fall and it will be decided then.”

New Ulm last hosted a DI State American Legion Baseball Tournament in 2009.

Fischer said that the state initially approached New Ulm’s Vern Kitzberger about the state tournament.

“He is our District 2 chairman for Legion and Junior Legion and he is also on the state legion board,” Fischer said. “They did not have a host and they came to Vern and asked if New Ulm would host. They want New Ulm to host because New Ulm does a nice job hosting tournaments.

“We can put this proposal together because we have a great relationship with the New Ulm Baseball Association and New Ulm Junior Baseball.”

Fischer said more information should come this fall.

“We should know this fall about what the state feels about our proposal and then we will then have to have one more formal vote at our level.”