Group will be inducted during Hall of Fame Weekend festivities on May 17-18

The Watertown Baseball Association will induct four more individuals into the Watertown Baseball of Fame in 2024.

Former standout players Eric Danforth, Bill Horning and Mike Murphy and contributor Roger Merriam are members of the Class of 2024.

Hall of Fame Weekend is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. The group will be inducted during a ceremony scheduled for May 17 at 2nd Street Station.Festivities will continue on Saturday with the Watertown Post 17 Legion and Junior Legion teams hosting Rapid City Post 320 in doubleheader at the Watertown Stadium, starting at 11 a.m. Inductees will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and also will have a banner unveiling in between the Legion games.

Tickets for the event will go on sale in early April or to make reservations please contact WBA Director of Operations Ryan Neale at post17baseball@hotmail.com or 605-868-3284.

Here are the biographies of the inductees:

Eric Danforth

The 2011 graduate of Watertown High School was a three-year player for Post 17 from 2009-2011 and a four-year letter winner for Watertown's high school baseball teams from 2008-11. During those years, Danforth was a standout two-way player as an outfielder and left handed pitcher. He finished his brilliant Post 17 with a career batting average of .411, highlighted by a .437 batting average his senior season for Post 17. He also added career numbers of 31 doubles, six home runs and 96 runs batted in during his Post 17 career.

Danforth was just as successful on the mound during his playing days. The left-handed pitcher went 11-5 in his career with Post 17 with a 4.01 earned-run average and 137 strikeouts in 125 2/3 innings.

After his playing days for Post 17 were over, Danforth went on to four-year career at NCAA Division 1 South Dakota State University from 2012-2015. During his time at SDSU, he appeared in 182 games as an outfielder and compiled a .289 career batting average. As a senior, he batted .360 with a .437 on base percentage, 39 runs scored, 25 RBIs and 10 doubles

In 2021, Danforth was inducted into the South Dakota High School Baseball Association Hall of Fame.

Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame 2024: Video for Hall of Fame Induction Class Announcement

Bill Horning

William “Bill” Horning was born and raised in Watertown and played Legion baseball in Watertown from 1945-1948. He was the youngest member of the 1950 Park Grant Team, which won the American Baseball Congress National Championship. The team was part of the inaugural Class of the Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Horning received the first baseball scholarship from the University of Minnesota and served as the Gophers' captain in 1955 and 1956. The Gophers won the Big Ten Conference title in 1956 and advance to the College Baseball World Series.

He set numerous records in the championship game of the CWS and powered Minnesota to their first National Championship with a victory over the University of Arizona.

Horning later played several years for the Watertown Lake Sox, who played in the tough Basin League. He enjoyed a 40-year career as a high school and college coach and has been inducted into the six different Hall of Fames (in three states) as a player or coach.

2023 WBA Hall of Fame: Turbak, Murphy and Planteen set to join Watertown baseball hall in 2023

Mike Murphy

Murphy was a three-year standout player for Post 17 in 1966-68 for head coaCH Dale McElhany. He was always a threat during any game that he played either by batting in the middle of the order for his team or on the mound. During his senior year, he led the team in homers (2) finished second in at-bats (119), hits (36), doubles (8) and batting average (.303).

He also excelled that season as a starter and reliever on the mound, leading the team with 1.10 earned-run avage with 40 strikeouts in 49 1/2 innings. His ERA is the lowest-known for a single season in Post 17 history.

After graduating from high school in 1968, he took his talents to Black Hills State University and was a four-year standout on the football and baseball field for the Yellow Jackets. He was a three-year starter at shortstop earning All-SDIC honors in 1970 and 1971 and NAIA All District 12 Honors in 1970.

Murphy was acknowledged for his on the field talent at Black Hills State by being inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2017, Murphy was inducted into the Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

More: Hardhats pick up 7-2 and 5-0 victories over Post 17 in a twinbill at Watertown Stadium

Roger Merriam

The 1981 Huron High School graduate and 1985 Sioux Falls College graduate moved to Watertown in December of 1984 and has been involved in Watertown baseball ever since. He is now in his 40th year of covering sports (and all levels of Watertown baseball) for the Public Opinion newspaper, served as a player-manager or player-assistant manager for 14 years for Watertown amateur baseball teams (1985-1998) and has umpired all levels for the Watertown Baseball Association for the past 21 years (2004-2024).

Merriam was named to the 1982 All-State Legion team, earned All-South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference honors at Huron College and Sioux Falls College, All-NAIA District 12 honors at SFC and played 21 seasons of amateur baseball in Huron, Salem, Watertown and Castlewood. He joined his father Allen and his older brother Rod in being inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

In addition, Merriam was chosen as the South Dakota High School Coaches Association's Sportswriter of the Year in 2000 and the National Sports Media Association's South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year in 2007 and 2012. He was also inducted into the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Shrine in 2018 and received the SDHSCA Executive Director's Award in 2011, Friend of Soccer Award from the South Dakota State Soccer Association in 2011, Friend of Football Award from the South Dakota Football Coaches Association in 2014 and a Distinguished Service Award from the SDHSCA in 2022.

Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees

• 2021 — Players Gene Bierscheid, Rusty Remmers and Ryan Van Gilder; player-coach Marty VanHeel and the 1950 Watertown Park Grant team that won the National American Baseball Congress championship.

• 2022 — Players Heath Rylance and Spencer Waite, coach Mitch Johnson and the 1931 state champion Watertown American Legion Junior team.

• 2023 — Players Tom Murphy and Blake Turbak and coach Jeff Planteen.

• 2024 — Players Eric Danforth, Bill Horning, Mike Murphy and contributor Roger Merriam.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Release for Watertown Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2024