The Belleville Higards Post 58 American Legion baseball program will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame at the 13th annual dinner and silent auction Feb. 2 at the Scottish Rites Bodies, 1549 Frank Scott Parkway West in Belleville.
The new Hall of Famers are Bill Schlueter, 1958-61; Tom "Wally" Baltz, coach 1998-2001; and Jake Friederich, 1998-2000.
Whitey Herzog, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals manager from 1980 to 1990, will be on hand. Herzog has been a supporter of the Hilgards and Whitey Herzog Field for more than 13 years. In addition to winning three National League pennants with the Cardinals, he guided the Cards to the 1982 World Series title. In 18 seasons as a major league manager with Texas, California, Kansas City and St. Louis, he compiled a 1,281-1,125 record (.532 percentage).
He is responsible for a large amount of the funding to build the Hilgards' state-or-the-art baseball complex. The dinner is the major fundraiser to continue maintaining and improving the home field for Hilgards Senior Legion and Junior Legion teams, along with Althoff High School's baseball team.
Tickets are $35 per adult; $15 for age 15 and under; free for 2012 players. Contact the Parks and Recreation Department, 510 West Main St. in Belleville, or call 233-1416.
