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Dutchmen Working Their Way Up
Strong through much of the 1990s, the New Germany Dutchmen continued that success through the early portion of this decade.
However, New Germany took a step back in 2006, and then in 2007, hit rock bottom with a 3-13 Crow River Valley League record.
Which brings us to the 2008 season. With some new faces, and a few old ones that have returned, the Dutchmen are on their way back up.
Over half of New Germany’s roster is under the age of 23.
Although they are a young team, they do have a nice touch of experience with the two men running the ship.
Long-time CRVL players Jeff Kohls and Gus Wischnack are both back in the fold this year, running the team, and also seeing some action themselves on the diamond.
Another wily veteran that helps the younger guys, and still sees plenty of action, is Tim Wischnack.
However, when you take a glance of the Dutchmen on the field of play, you know that youth is being served.
With that youth will come some growing pains, but the Dutchmen appear to be on the right track to, once again, regain a spot near or at the top of the CRVL North Division standings.
The ultimate goal is to get back to the state tournament, which they did back in 1997.
That year, the Dutchmen won their opening game of the state tournament, before being knocked out in game two in Maple Lake.
New Germany’s last, best two chances to return to state were in 2004 and 2005.
Both years the Dutchmen advanced to the Region 7C tournament, but were knocked out before advancing to state.
Fathers’ Day pork chop feed at New Germany
The Dutchmen host an annual Fathers’ Day pork chop dinner every year, and it has become one of the more popular baseball attractions during the summer.
A strong tradition
Baseball has been an important part of New Germany’s history since the early 1900s, and is to this day.
New Germany baseball legend Gerald “Beans” Roepke noted that in the early 1900s until 1955, baseball in New Germany was played in Fred Hein’s pasture, which is now Lindstrom Park.
In 1955, a new ballpark was built on District 77 school land, and dugouts and the grandstand were built with the help of volunteers.
In 1956, the New Germany city fathers organized a team, and with manager Harry Zellmann, joined the 7-Hi League, consisting of Excelsior, Hopkins, Hutchinson, Long Lake, Mound, Richfield, Winsted, and New Germany.
The ballpark was dedicated May 6, 1956. Later, the village of New Germany purchased the property.
Changes took place at the ballpark, and in 1970, the grandstand and dugouts were rebuilt.
In 1980, a chain link fence was installed and dedicated in memory of Dean Hensel, son of Loren and Dorothy Hensel, according to the New Germany Centennial Book.
In 1959, New Germany entered the Crow River Valley League with the teams of Glencoe, Green Isle, Hamburg, Lester Prairie, Mayer, Norwood, Plato, and Young America.
In this same year, the New Germany baseball team became known as the “Dutchmen” as its official name, by which it is still known today.
In 1987, the Crow River Valley League (CRVL) was split into two divisions, the North and the South. New Germany was placed in the North Division.
The Dutchmen were Crow River Valley League Champions in 1964, 1967, 1968, and 1971. In the past 15 years, the Dutchmen have been league champions approximately five more times, noted former manager and player Mike Schrupp.
The Dutchmen have made five state tournament appearances; 1967 in Alexandria, 1968 in Springfield, 1970 in St. Cloud, 1971 in Brownton, and most recently in 1997, when they beat Buckman 7-5 in the first game, and lost to Le Sueur, 4-3, in the second game.
In 1971, the Dutchmen had their best showing at state, placing third.
Hall of Famers
The New Germany Dutchmen have one member in the Minnesota Baseball Amateur Hall of Fame.
That member is Gerald “Beans” Roepke, inducted in 1993.
After 29 seasons of playing baseball, and before retiring from the Dutchmen, Roepke posted some impressive accomplishments.
In 1961 and 1980, he was voted the team’s most valuable player; in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1986, he had the Dutchmen’s highest batting average; in 1981, he won the Crow River Valley League batting title, with a .446 batting average.
That same year, 1981, he was selected the most valuable player in the Crow River Valley League all-star game.
Beans continues to stay active in amateur baseball, currently serving as the Region 7C commissioner.
Long-time Dutchmen honored
The New Germany Dutchmen baseball team honored four of their legends July 12, 2008, at its fan appreciation game in New Germany.
The Dutchmen hosted the Carver Black Sox in their second to last regular season game of the year.
After the game, four long-time Dutchmen (Gerald “Beans” Roepke, Ron Wischnack, Marlin Kohls, and Ron “Stoney” Lehrke) were honored.
Various people took the mic to sing the praises of these long-time Dutchmen, as a very nice crowd looked on.
The most memorable of these speeches came from Gene “Rabbit” Goede, according to several people who attended.
After getting recognized for their accomplishments, the four Dutchmen will always be remembered at New Germany’s baseball park with baseball shaped signs with their names on them (as shown above).
All four men played big roles in the Dutchmen teams of the late 1960s and the 1970s.
Over those years, the Dutchmen went to state four times, including taking third in 1971.
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