Mitchell baseball board, parents look for route back to the field

MITCHELL — No clear path forward has been determined for the future of Mitchell’s Legion-age baseball players following the latest meeting of Mitchell Baseball Association leaders.

MBA’s board is attempting to navigate through the demands of the South Dakota American Legion and the frustrations of local parents in hopes of finding a fully formed baseball schedule for next summer.

The MBA board met on Monday, July 14 at Cadwell Park Stadium, where player parents were given the chance to speak about their experiences this past season in which Mitchell’s 18-and-under players could not compete against South Dakota’s Legion teams and instead had to travel out of state to play.

Baseball parent Tara McCormick requested from the board a complete refund for the 18-and-under players, which is a $250 registration fee.

“This season has not quite lived up to our expectations,” McCormick said. “It's been pretty disappointing for the boys and ourselves.”

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McCormick cited additional travel expenses due to MBA players going out of state to play non-Legion affiliated teams, and that activities, such as a Minnesota Twins game, were paid for by parents and not provided as a complimentary experience.

“It's also important to note that these kids have been fundraising since 13 (and-under). They've put in their time,” baseball parent Sonya Moller said.

This summer was the first competition for Legion-age baseball players in Mitchell since June 2023, when the season was stopped due to rape allegations involving former players on the team.

The South Dakota American Legion in November 2024 told MBA to find an entirely new board and new head Legion coach to become affiliated again. MBA has been unwilling to overhaul its structure due to its strong support of longtime coach Luke Norden.

While parents and board members reviewed the details of the incomplete season that is nearly finished, they also considered possibilities for the 2026 summer schedule.

During the meeting, MBA President Nathan Sparks laid out three options for the program. The first is to create a club team for 18-and-under players under MBA’s supervision and coached by Norden; the second option is for parents to take over the Legion team, find a new coach and schedule the games; and the third option is players can transfer to a different team.

Sparks told those present that he and Jeff McCormick were visiting on a regular basis and that there were “possibly some things in motion” about parents taking over.

MBA offered parents the opportunity to organize their own team prior to the 2025 season.

“Nobody stepped up and did it,” Sparks said. “The parents didn’t want to come up and say, ‘Yep, I'm going to take this over. Let's do this.’”

Setting up a Legion team in a short time frame with a new organization while abiding by the Legion’s conditions was a task that Tara McCormick says was “near impossible to try and take on.”

Despite the uncertainty, Sparks told parents the decision will not loom despite MBA not committing to an option yet.

“We won't wait until October, November, December, January, whatever it is — we won't wait that long,” Sparks said.

It was not an option for the boys to play on different teams, according to Tara McCormick.

“Some boys that have played together since some of them played together since T-ball. They want to play in Mitchell. They want to play in front of their friends and family,” Tara McCormick said.

Sparks also told parents that MBA has likely not heard back from the South Dakota American Legion following the two sides meeting on June 12 due to the Legion being busy with state conventions and a number of state tournaments coming up.

Under the South Dakota American Legion’s restrictions, there are very few teams in South Dakota that are eligible to compete against Mitchell as an unaffiliated program. One is the Sioux Falls-based Sanford Baseball Academy. MBA sought to compete against that team, but Sparks explained that it was difficult to get on Sanford’s schedule.

Legion teams that play Mitchell baseball are at risk of forfeiting games, according to Sparks. Rule 5 of the South Dakota American Legion Baseball Policy Manual states that a first violation brings a warning and probation, a second violation brings “expulsion from that year’s tournament play,” and a third violation bars players from any further Legion play. However, a formal application, if approved, could reinstate players.

The 16-and-under Mitchell Baseball Association players were not allowed to play in a late June Sioux Falls tournament because the Legion prohibited other teams from affiliating with MBA. However, the Sioux Falls tournament director gave the message to Mitchell baseball members, rather than the message coming directly from the Legion. 

“To me, it was a pretty loud thing from the Legion. We don't like that this is going on either,” said Charlie Dubanoski, who helps administer MBA teams.