Steve "Rabbit" Rabine, who opened his career in Watertown, is one of the four new inductees
SIOUX FALLS — Two former players and two former umpires will be inducted into the USA Softball of South Dakota Hall of Fame during a banquet scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Holiday Inn City Centre.
This year's inductees include former players Steve Rabine of Watertown-Aberdeen and Ken Waltner of Freeman-Sioux Falls and umpires Rich Skorheim of Huron and Chuck Buchheim of Sioux Falls. Rabine now lives in San Antonio (Texas), Skorheim in Miller and Buchheim in Chester. Walter is being inducted posthumously.
The banquet opens with a social hour from 5 to 6 p.m. The banquet, induction ceremony and celebration will start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and are available from Mike Dykstra at 605-212-3139 or email: kdykstra@sio.midco.net.Here are the biographies for the inductees:
Steve ‘Rabbit’ Rabine
Rabine, who grew up in the Strandburg and Revillo areas, started his playing career in Watertown in 1963 with the Hi-way Sign Company team. In 1969, he moved to Aberdeen and played with the Aberdeen Merchants through 1977 when they changed sponsors to Dahme Construction through 1985. Rabine's teams were the league champions in Aberdeen every year he played, from 1969-1985.
Rabine's teams won more 550 games and the Rabbit accumulated 350 wins on the mound. He hit well over .300 for his career while pitching and playing outfield, first and third base. Steve threw 12 no-hitters in his career. At the plate, he had an amazing 62 games where he hit two or more home runs in fastpitch softball. Rabine was named the 1973 State Tournament MVP.
In 1980, Rabine led Dahme’s to a state AA (Major) title win over Sioux Falls power Nite City Disco in the championship game. In the tourney, Rabine had two wins, batted third and ran down balls in the outfield.
2019 Hall of Famer pitcher John Burchill said: “Although we were always on opposite teams, Steve, or ‘Rabbit” as he was known for his speed, was very athletic. He could beat you on the mound, playing defense, beating out a bunt in the infield or park a couple over the fence.”
"When asked to name a premier player in my years of umpiring, Rabine's name always comes up. He was the most complete player we had in the area," said 1992 Hall of Fame umpire Ace Boschee.
Rabine was nominated for the honor by former teammate Steve Stein.
"In my mind, I can definitely say there is nobody who played softball in the 60s, 70s and early 80s who was a more complete player than Steve," Stein said.
Ken Waltner
Waltner started playing fastpitch softball in Freeman in 1969 with the Freeman Blues. In 1979, he came to Sioux Falls to play with Tiki Liquors for a year and Beal Budweiser for five years. After the run with the Sioux Falls teams, he decided to go back to play with the hometown Freeman Blues until 1991. After initially retiring after 23 years, he returned to the field to play 40-and-over ball with Service First Credit Union.
Waltner's primary positions were shortstop and pitcher but he moved to wherever the team needed him, except for one spot (catcher).
He has the distinction of winning state championships in all four classes of South Dakota fastpitch (AA, A, B and Masters). Waltner helped lead Beal Budweiser to the 1984 state AA championship and the Freeman Blues to a state A title. He also won State B and Masters titles with Service First.
Back when ASA had regionals for the state champions to qualify for nationals, Waltner played with TIKI in Austin (Minn.) in 1979 and with the Freeman Blues in Fargo in 1989. He also played in three Masters (40-and-over) national tourneys with Service First (1993 in Las Vegas, 1994 in San Antonio and 1995 in Minneapolis).
Ken met his wife Cindy, daughter of 1997 Hall of Famer Harvey Wollman, at the ball diamond. They married and had two children (Brett and Jenna). He passed his love of the game and competition on to his children.
“Softball has been a staple in our entire family’s life because of Ken. He coached Jenna for countless hours, teaching her to pitch and hit," said Cindy Waltner. "Jenna went on to pitch varsity at Larchwood (Iowa) for five years. Brett still plays in Sioux Falls and the tradition continues as our granddaughter is playing under Brett’s guidance.”
"Ken was money in the clutch, had the speed to turn singles into doubles, could play six positions on the diamond as well as hold his own pitching against any team in the Tri-State area," said 2015 Hall of Famer Cam Lind.
Waltner passed away on Feb. 17, 2012 with a Glioblastoma brain tumor at the young age of 59.
Rich Skorheim
Skorheim started umpiring in 1988 in Huron by working men’s, women’s, coed and youth slowpitch as well as college fastpitch. For most of those years, he was also the working UIC for those leagues in Huron as well.
Skorheim has umpired more than 50 state tournaments, working games in men's, women's, coed, youth and 14 and 16-inch slowpitch. He also worked three Dakota regional tournaments in the 1990s. Skorheim also worked national tournaments in 1987 (16-inch A), 1998 (16-inch Major), 2000 (youth 16-inch A), 2004 (16-inch Major) and 2007 (Hooter's Slowpitch Championships in Oklahoma City).
Starting in 2010, he had a six-year run of being the USA Softball UIC at six national tournaments (2010 in Bismarck, 2011 in Watertown, 2012 and 2016 in Sioux Falls, 2015 in Rapid City and 2016 in Sioux Falls. He also served as the UIC for the four-day, 70-plus team Native World Series at the Star of the West Complex in Rapid City.
His umpiring skills as well as his involvement on local and state boards earned him a spot as Deputy UIC in 2005 and as the associate state umpire in chief for slowpitch in 2009. He honorably holds both of those positions today.
Rich’s involvement includes more than being a umpire. He has held a position as well as being UIC on the Huron Slowpitch Board for years. In 2016, the USA Softball SD association voted for Rich to run the six-year cycle of second vice president, first vice president and president of the association.
"Rich's knowledge of the game (he was a player, umpire, local and tourney UIC) makes Rich a qualified promoter of umpires and ASA/USA Softball in the state and region," said former Men's Slowpitch Deputy Gary Harrington.
"Rich has been a rock with training umpires and running state tournaments. For 30 years, he has been one of the top and most respected umpires in men’s and women’s slowpitch," said State UIC Steve Riswold.
Chuck Buchheim
Buchheim has umpired in the Sioux Falls Men’s League for more than 30 years. Although he has mainly umpired men’s slowpitch, he also has worked women, youth, and co-ed slowpitch softball. Since 2002, Buchheim has been named the Ken Czerny SFMSP Umpire of the Year eleven times.
Outside of league games, Buchheim has umpired more than 150 state tournaments in his career. He has also either umpired, been the UIC Coordinator, or USA Softball UIC at 17 USA Softball National events.
In addition, he has worked a number of national tournaments and became the first South Dakota umpire chosen to work the prestigious Border Battle. Buchheim is believed to have worked more Open division men's slowpitch softball games than any other South Dakota umpire.
Buchheim has served as the Sioux Falls Men's League UIC and Assistant UIC and has spent the past six years serving as the president of the South Dakota USA Softball Umpire Association. His duties include organizing the state umpire school which is held throughout South Dakota every year. He also recruits and trains umpires for the Sioux Falls men's, women's and youth slowpitch leagues.
"In the decade that I have worked with Chuck, I have learned a great deal about the game of softball and umpiring. He is a mentor to learn from and look up to, said Watertown native and fellow umpire Eric Stowell. "He has taught me that the game never changes, just the players in the game. He has taught me to treat the game, its players, coaches and fans with respect because at every level of play this game means something to them.”
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: The 2023 USA Softball of South Dakota Hall of Fame banquet set for Oct. 14.
