Fisher inducted into Mon-Clair Hall of Fame
The Mon-Clair League Awards were held Saturday at the Millstadt VFW, with longtime Mon-Clair third vice president and scheduler Rich Fisher of Waterloo among the 2013 Hall of Fame inductees.
“It’s an honor to get in the Hall of Fame because the league has been around since 1963 but they didn’t start doing a Hall of Fame until 1984. There are a lot of players who they are trying to catch up with,” Fisher said.
Like many rural youth, Fisher never played high school sports because of commitments on his family’s farm.
“But I played (base)ball in the service and made the all-service team,” he said.
Fisher has been involved in community sports for decades, organizing recreational softball leagues for nearly 40 years, and coaching and managing Waterloo American Legion ball for 12 years with a 394-96 record.
He began his involvement with the Mon-Clair League in 2000, serving as the league’s third vice president and the scheduler of games until 2012.
He currently is the general manager of the Waterloo Millers.
The evening also included the presentation of individual awards for the 2013 season.
Rich Fisher speaks during his Hall of Fame induction Saturday night.In the Monroe Division, Waterloo Miller L.J. Watson was the Mel Patton Batting Champion, hitting .453 on the season. In the St. Clair Division, Jeff Schwierjohn of Edwardsville hit .493.
Pitching champion awards went to Corey Blackwell of the Millers, who notched a 1.42 ERA on the season, and Kit Crooks of the St. Louis Spikes, with an ERA of 0.84.
The Elmer C. Voellinger Rookie of the Year in the Monroe Division was Millstadt pitcher Sam Lidisky, who finished the season with a record of 8-1 and a 2.39 ERA. Ian Sikes of Edwardsville hit .419 on the season to take home the St. Clair Division’s top rookie honors.
Brandon Musso of the Waterloo Millers received the Harold “Mickey” Pieper Playoff MVP Award, Cameron Lofton of the St. Louis Spikes was awarded the Hank Kroenig All Star MVP Award, and Waterloo’s Justin Dunning received the Valmeyer Midsummer Classic MVP Award.
The William “Bill” Mohr Managers of the Year were Jon Kars of the St. Louis Spikes and Norm Toenjes of Millstadt.
In addition to Fisher, 2013 Hall of Fame inductees were Jay Davis, Steve Hausmann, Al Karban and Harold Mathews.
