NEW ULM — Three former American Legion baseball players — Judd Davis, Bobby Sellner and Tanner Kluis — were formally inducted into the New Ulm Legion Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday at a ceremony at the New Ulm Legion Clubrooms.

All three talked about the support given to them by the legion and the community.

“There are so many things that were great,” Davis said. “Everything from the bus rides to all of the tournaments that we went to to the way we were treated by the legion board members.

“We were always the most prepared team no matter what because of the way that we were treated with buses and hotels — everything was top-notch.”

Davis said that when he was in college at St. Cloud State he became good friends with player from Omaha, Nebraska, and the subject of New Ulm Legion baseball came up in a conversation with another baseball player.

“My first semester I was talking with a player from Omaha who played in the New Ulm Legion Tournament and he said that it was one of the most special tournaments that he was ever in,” Davis said. “And I said that that is just normal — that is New Ulm baseball for you — we live it and we breath it.”

Davis, who still lives in New Ulm, said that he had to quit playing baseball due to an injury but that he has a son now and he will be taking to games and show him where he played.

Bobby Sellner played for the New Ulm Legion from 1985 through 1987.

“In 1985 I got called up to the Legion team and that was the year that we went to the Legion World Series,” he said. “I got some playing time in the Regionals and I played one inning in the World Series.”

Sellner said that being selected for the Hall of Fame is more involved than just statistics.

“It is also the character that they have and what they have done with their lives and community,” said Sellner who resides in San Diego, California. “My wife and I have lived there since 1993.”

Sellner said that he is asked a lot in San Diego if he had Legion baseball in New Ulm.

“I tell them that when I played Legion baseball in New Ulm that we played West Covina, California, in the World Series — West Covina is just north of San Diego.”

Tanner Kluis said that the history of New Ulm baseball is amazing especially — echoing Davis’ comments — were the hotels and the travel.

Like Sellner, Kluis and his wife live in California.

“We just bought a house in Alpine,California,” he said. “I am working at a Naval base in Coronado, California, and I got out of the Marines in March.”