Bound for the Hall

More than 50 years have passed, but Edgar Rellergert's voice oozes with excitement when he talks about his days as a baseball player.

Rellergert threw a curveball that he admits he started at the head of opposing batters and watched it dance across the plate.

"I've done this in our county, where I'd yell, 'Look out,' and they'd back off," Rellergert said with a chuckle. "The thing would come right over the plate. I'd holler that because I knew if I could do that, it would help me out."

Rellergert, of Jackson, is one of the eight inductees into the Southeast Missouri Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. The ceremony is Saturday at the Clinton Building in Sikeston. Other inductees include Steve Shelton of Jackson and the late Raymond Lewis, who was from Jackson. Rounding out the class are Harold Norman, Victor Adams, Jerry Holland, Bob Johnson and David McClarty.

Rellergert, 77, spent three seasons in minor league baseball trying to recognize his dream of playing in the majors. The experience failed to meet his expectations.

Edgar Rellergert

"Baseball life was not my idea of living," Rellergert said. "It was hurry up and get off the field and go look for some women. I couldn't believe that. What are these guys playing ball for? I wasn't used to that."

During his three seasons in the minors, he only allowed one home run. He remembers it like it was yesterday, even recounting it was his vaunted curveball that got shellacked.

"He had everything in it," Rellergert said. "He hit it to left center. I can still see that thing going. Oh my God, he creamed it. It was like a golf ball."

Rellergert played for Old Appleton in the Perry County leagues, but he pointed to his performances with the Capahas as his most memorable. He pitched twice against major league barnstorming teams and experienced plenty of success both times. The first time, he pitched a couple of innings and got the Philadelphia Phillies' Andy Seminick to pop out to the catcher to end the inning with Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer licking his chops in the on-deck circle.

"I saw Hank Sauer on deck, and he handled that bat like a toothpick," Rellergert said. "I thought, 'Oh my God, I cannot face that guy. I gotta get this guy out.' Well, we got the last batter out I had to face. [The catcher] got it right by the screen and when he caught it, I heard Hank Sauer say to Andy Seminick, 'God, I'd like to face that little guy.'"

The following year, Rellergert toed the rubber against another barnstorming team. He doesn't remember any of the players he faced but said most of them were Class AA and Class AAA players.

"They had 10 hits off me, but I struck out 10 batters," he said. "I thought, 'Boy, that's not too bad for a country boy here in the county.'"

Now he's going to be a Hall of Famer.

"It meant a lot to me being inducted into the Hall of Fame because this is a big area," he said. "It makes me feel pretty good."

Shelton, who lives in Jackson but grew up in Puxico, is another inductee who tossed a devastating curveball. He learned it by studying New York Mets ace Tom Seaver.

"It's a rush when you can make a good pitch and just nasty him away," said Shelton, 53.

Shelton left his mark at the plate as well. He batted better than .600 as a high school senior, but considered himself a better pitcher, despite his coach's opinion.

"Coach [Joe] Uhls wanted to convert me to a third baseman, but I was a hard-headed young man," Shelton said. "I thought I could be a better pitcher. In retrospect, he was probably right. I probably should have done what he wanted, but I was too hard-headed."

Shelton played four years at Southeast Missouri State and two years with the Capahas. After his playing career ended, he turned his attention to coaching. Even though coaching didn't match the rush of striking out a batter, he became hooked.

"The clearest thing on that is when a kid looks at you and understands what you're trying to get across to him and then he executes it," Shelton said. "That's when you know you've made a small impact. And maybe somewhere along the line, he'll get a little better."

After years in baseball, he's being recognized for his accomplishments with his induction into the Hall of Fame.

"I'll be honest with you, it's surprising, and I'm not sure I deserve this at all," he said. "I've been in [baseball] for a number of years, but I'll take the honor and I do appreciate it. But there are a whole bunch of guys who have done as much or more."

Lewis is the third inductee from Jackson. He was the first black player in the Perry County league. He played 12 seasons for the Jackson Monarchs and Jackson Giants of the Perry County men's league before he died in 1956.

See bios on all the inductees here.