Five former standouts have been chosen as the 2023 induction class for the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.
The honorees include Orville Harmdierks of Wessington Springs, Nick Ernster of Emery, Ron Miller of Canova and former Martin, Clearfield and Winner teammates Dan O’Neill of Tuthill and Wayne Johnson of Rapid City. The group will be honored on Saturday, Aug. 12 between evening Class B semifinal games in the 2023 state tournament at Cadwell Park in Mitchell.
The Hall of Fame banquet is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4 in Emery. More details will be released later. Here are the biographies of the new inductees:
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Orville Harmdierks
The 6-foot-5 Lane native known as “Big O” developed a notable reputation as a dangerous power hitter in the Pony Hills League in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He spent most of his 21 years in the league playing for Alpena before concluding a 26-year career by playing in Armour.
He opened his baseball career as a shortstop and intimidating pitcher, but after hurting his arm, he moved to first base and quickly became known for his prestigious home runs. Some of his highlights included hitting a three-run, two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a nine-run comeback against White Lake, hitting eight homers in a span of 32 at-bats while playing part-time for Alpena in 1990 and clearing the fence on a check-swing homer in a state tournament game in 1983.
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Harmdierks played in 20 state tournaments.
Alpena held a special “Orville Harmdierks Night” — part of a surprise retirement party in 1989 in which the team retired his No. 7 jersey. The communities of Alpena, Woonsocket and Wessington Springs held “Orville Harmdierks Day” on Nov. 25, 1989.
Nick Ernster
The Emery native enjoyed a 20-year amateur baseball career that spanned from the late 1960s through the late 1980s and included time with teams from Emery, Parkston, Spencer and Alexandria. Ernster also umpired for five years after his playing career ended.
He played on two state championship teams as a pickup player, first with Parkston in 1968 when he was an American Legion Baseball player in Emery and again in 1979 with Canova, as a pickup player from Spencer. Ernster, a catcher, earned all-tournament honors in 1979.
As his career progressed, he also spent time as an infielder (shortstop and first baseman) and was a line-drive hitter who consistently hit .300 or better.
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Ron Miller
Miller’s amateur baseball career spanned a 23-year period with the Canova Gang, which was interrupted by three years of duty with the Armed Services, including a tour in Vietnam. He played his entire career during the wood-bat era and had a lifetime batting average of .335 or higher.
He was known for coming through in the clutch, including hitting a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that lifted Canova past the Renner Monarchs 8-7 in the 1971 state championship game. Miller also played first base on Canova’s 1979 state champions and earned all-tournament honors three times: 1971, 1975 and 1979.
In the field, Miller was a versatile player who played all nine positions during his career. After retiring, he was still on standby to help out the Canova Gang either as a player or umpire. He also spent 26 years coaching all levels of baseball in Canova.
Miller was chosen as an honorary member of the South Dakota Umpire Association Hall of Fame in 2013.
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Dan O’Neill
O’Neill played college baseball and football at Huron College from 1974-77, earning All-South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference baseball honors in 1976 and 1977. He spent 24 years playing amateur baseball for Martin and later Clearfield and Winner. The Martin teams won the Rosebud-TMT League most every year during a 10-to-15 year period.
A center fielder and catcher, O’Neill compiled a career batting average in the .360 range with around 120 home runs. He played in the state tournament with his team or as a pickup player every year.
O’Neill has also coached youth baseball in Martin for more than 30 years and continues to be a huge advocate for baseball in the area where he spends countless hours promoting, coaching and using his own resources for the benefit of kids. He was named the Region 8B Amateur Baseball Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2011.
His the nephew of current SDABA Hall of Famers Ed, Chuck and Dave Risse.
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Wayne Johnson
Johnson played college baseball and football at Black Hills State College from 1974-77 and fashioned a 24-year career as an amateur baseball player for Martin and later Clearfield and Winner. The Martin teams won the Rosebud-TMT League most every year during a 10-to-15 year period.
A pitcher and third baseman by trade, Johnson compiled more than 100 career wins on the mound and fashioned a career batting average around .375. He pitched three no-hitters and one perfect game in South Dakota amateur baseball.
Johnson also has been a longtime supporter of the Rapid City Post 22 American Legion Baseball program.
Wayne’s mother and fellow 2023 SDABA Hall of Fame inductee Dan O’Neill’s mother were sisters to SDABA Hall of Famers Ed, Chuck and Dave Risse. Johnson and O’Neill were teammates throughout their amateur baseball careers.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Five former standouts to be inducted into SD Amateur Baseball hall