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he was during his time with the Fish. Paatalo had an extensive baseball journey and his final stop was in River Falls as he became an aging player.

He began his baseball career in high school at Cretin Derham-Hall, where he won state titles. He played college baseball at Wichita State with the Shockers, where he faced Roger Clemens, who went on to become one of the great pitchers in the history of the MLB.

After his college days, Paatalo had an extensive amateur baseball career with the East Side Merchants in St. Paul, Minn. As Paatalo began to get older, it looked like his career was beginning to come to a close. He had generated success at every level of the game and was heading to retirement from the sport as he approached his 50s.

However, when he moved to River Falls to take a teaching job, he felt the baseball diamond calling his name and decided to give amateur baseball one last shot as a 48-year- old. He joined the team for the 2009 season and played four total years with the Fish, including that 2011 WBA State Championship team.

He played 94 games, recorded 94 hits, eight doubles, 29 walks, had 68 RBIs and had a career batting average of .276 with two stolen bases. While his statistics were great, even considering his age at the time, Schurman stated that the kind of person he is stood out above all else.

“Joe is such a humble guy and is never one to boast,” Schurman said. “He’s a great guy and a friend to all – even to his opponents. He is very deserving of the Fish Hall of Fame, I believe his fourth Hall of Fame.” Paatalo was handed the microphone and began his remarks by speaking about how he had already played town baseball for 23 years and how he thought there was no way that he was going to play baseball again. That’s when Josh Eidem approached Paatalo and began recruiting him to the team. He agreed to play, with the consent of his wife, Lynn, and began the final chapter of his base ball journey.

“As it turns out, my time with the Fish were some of the best years,” Paatalo said. “To be honest, I wasn’t near the player I was when I was younger, but playing with these guys and what they mean to the community and amateur baseball, it’s just absolutely amazing. I’m so proud to be a member of the Fish.”

Both Paatalo and Gilbertson received a loud ovation as their names were announced and they officially became the newest members of the River Falls Fighting Fish Hall of Fame. Once celebrations were over, the Fish played a nine-inning contest against the Prescott Pirates in which the Fish dominated from the opening pitch.

River Falls jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Prescott in the bottom of the second inning when Spencer Diedrich hit a two-run home run over the left-field fence. River Falls scored another run in the third inning and early in the fifth inning to make it a 4-0 lead.

That’s when Diedrich stepped up to the plate and blasted his second home run of the game, again over the left-field fence to make it a 5-0 lead for the Fighting Fish. Prescott tried to rally late but came up short. River Falls secured a 6-3 victory to cap of an already special Hall of Fame night.

Ryan Gilbertson, one of two 2022 River Falls Fighting Fish Hall of Fame inductees, waves to friends and family in the crowd as he delivers remarks about his time with the Fish at the induction ceremony on Saturday, July 9. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Joe Paatalo, one of two 2022 River Falls Fighting Fish Hall of Fame inductees, speaks at his induction ceremony in River Falls on Saturday, July 9. Paatalo told the team and fans that his years with the Fish were some of the best baseball years of his life, which includes a career that spanned more than three decades. Photo by Reagan Hoverman