Joe Becker Joe was an excellent pitcher with tremendous control. Joe was a great .300 hitter who hit with power. Possibly the best overall player ever seen at Loretto. 1993 Arnold Klaers Involved in baseball in all aspects as player, manager and team supporter as well as long time Vice-President of the league. Was major influence in the start of baseball in Loretto. 1999 Dick Klaers Dick was one of the finest second basemen the league has seen. Dick was great at turning the double play and was always an offensive threat at the plate. Dick was a lifetime .300 hitter hitting over .400 many times as he was the league-batting champ twice and batting runner-up four times. When the league started its MVP award in 1972 it was only natural that the first member to win the award would be Dick.
2002 Ric Gross Ric pitched 13 years for Loretto. Ric was a two-time league E.R.A. champ and a two time E.R.A. league runner-up. Ric had an excellent curve ball along with a great fastball. Ric was Loretto’s money pitcher pitching the big games for Loretto.
2003 Paul Klapprich Paul was Loretto’s first baseman for 23 years. Paul hit over .300 every year with many years he hit over .400. Paul was excellent fielder at first base and was known for his “gift of gab” to opposing players who made it to first. Paul was always working with the younger players on the team to make them better ball players.
2006 Mark Lilledahl Mark played for many years in center field for Loretto. Mark had a great arm for throwing base runners out. Mark was a lifetime .300 hitter who won the league batting championship in 1967 with a .447.
2009 Jerry Ruppelius Jerry played baseball for 15 years, mainly at third base. Jerry batted over .300 most of his career. Jerry was an excellent fielder who never let any ground balls go through the left side of the infield. Jerry was a great clutch hitter but more importantly was a great team leader.
2010 Herb Koch Herb played shortstop for Loretto for 34 years. Herb was a lifetime .300 hitter who also pitched in relief when needed. Herb became Loretto manager at the age of 19 and managed the team while playing. Herb served as league secretary-treasurer for 14 years and currently is league president.
2013
Tom Traen Tom was one of the best left handed pitchers in North Star History. Tom won over 50 games in the league while posting a fine 2.02 E.R.A. Tom’s five best years were lost to league play as Tom was drafted in the 11th round by the Montreal Expos. Tom won 27 games during his pro ball years before arm and shoulder problems led to his retirement from the pros. Tom was voted Most Valuable Piter in the North Star League 3 times in 1988, 1996 and 2008. Tom led the league in lowest ERA 4 times in 1981, 1988, 1996 and 2008. Tom was also an excellent hitter with a lifetime .325 batting average and was Most Valuable Player in 1992. Induction for Tom will be July 7 before the Maple Lake at Loretto game at Loretto at 2pm.
2012
P.J. Hanson
PJ was a lifetime .400 hitter who also hit for power. PJ was a 3 time batting champ of the league and was the first player to win a triple crown. PJ complied the highest batting average in league history with a .667 average in 1989. During that year PJ had a streak of 19 straight hits in 19 straight at bats.
