By John Kmitta
Amateur baseball has a rich and vibrant history in the state of Minnesota. In the 1800s, with the construction of railroads, towns in Minnesota popped up every six miles due to the need for water for the steam engines that traveled those tracks. As the towns grew, local baseball teams formed. Soon they would begin playing against teams from nearby towns every Sunday. More than 100 years ago, those teams were organized into the Minnesota Baseball Association (MBA).
“By the heyday of the MBA in the 1940s and ‘50s, there were approximately 700 teams across the state,” said Mike Nagel, treasurer of the MBA. “Now we have a roughly 275 teams across three levels – A, B and C – and we have a state tournament that runs three weekends, culminating with championships on Labor Day.”
According to Nagel, all three classes are determined based on a point system, with points evaluated based on the population of the community, team success, and whether the team goes outside of their community to get baseball players with college or professional experience.
The largest towns are in Class A, while Class B is mid-sized towns.
“Class C is our bread and butter,” said Nagel. “That’s where half of our teams are, and they’re mostly located in towns with less than 1,000 people. They’re playing with their brothers, uncles and dads. It’s traditional town ball.”
According to Nagle, across the three classes, the current age range is 14 to 75 years old, and players range from ex pros to players who probably wouldn’t make their high school team.
Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota all have some form of town ball, but their leagues are much smaller than the MBA. “We are by far the most town ball or amateur baseball crazy in the country,” Nagel added.
Travel time for the teams varies widely. In some cases, a 30-minute drive might take you through three towns that have teams. In other areas of the state, teams travel two to three hours for one game.
“It’s a slice of Americana,” he said. In some cases, “It’s like time stood still and you can find a town that has a church and a bar, and at the crossroads there’s a ballpark with no outfield fence and they have a chicken wire backstop. The people show up, bring their cooler and sit and watch their dad or their brothers or their kids or uncles all play baseball. Then some teams are playing in major facilities.”
While some municipalities have a regular city crew that maintains their field, Nagel estimates that close to 90 percent of the fields in the MBA are maintained and managed by the team members themselves with help from the baseball board, parents and former players. The MBA’s efforts are also supported by sponsors DuraEdge and Reinders, which provide resources and education.
“We have a town of 1,200 people, and I’ll put my baseball field up against any minor league park in the country,” said Nagel. “There’s a lot of pride and there’s a lot of one upmanship about wanting your field to be better than the next. When I started, our field was a sandlot. We didn’t have a grass infield, we didn’t have an outfield fence, and we didn’t have dugouts. Now we have one of the best amateur fields in the state of Minnesota. And we’ve done that through a lot of volunteers, donations and community support. People want their fields to be the best they can be. They put a lot of time, effort and money into making the fields wonderful.”
The 2025 MBA state tournament was hosted by three towns – Hutchinson, Brownton and Gaylord.
According to Nagel, Gaylord started with a small town field, and now it has a beautiful grandstand and just spent $300,000 on new LED lights.
“You’re just not going to find this type of stuff out in a in a farm community in any other state,” he said. “It’s very unusual that you’ll find a college or minor league-quality park in a town of 2,000 people.”
According to Doug Schuette of the Brownton Baseball Association, Barney Tadsen Field/Facility is owned by the City of Brownton, but the Brownton Baseball Association serves as caretaker. Brownton has had a team since 1887, and Barney Tadsen Field was built in 1944-45. The majority of upkeep and improvements are done and funded by the Brownton Baseball Association.
“Due to our fundraising, generous donations, help from the City of Brownton, and volunteer labor, we were able to make many improvements prior to the 2025 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament,” said Schuette, who is one of seven Brownton Bruins in the Minnesota Baseball Hall of Fame.
According to Kyle Messner of Hutchinson, Minnesota, Hutchinson amateur baseball started in 1985 and Veteran’s Memorial Field (VMF) at Dave Mooney Memorial Complex was built in 1985-86. Over the years, the facility has seen plenty of upgrades, including a new grandstand, scoreboards, dugouts, backstops and sound systems, as well as renovations to the mound and home plate areas.
VMF averages 70 games every spring/summer, and has hosted five state amateur tournaments.
“The hardest part about hosting a state tournament is getting a lot of volunteers to help out – especially when the tournament ends on Labor Day,” said Messner. “The tournament wouldn’t be successful without all those volunteers. The best part about hosting is the people you meet from other towns, and the stories they tell.”
According to Nagel, the state tournament draws between 20,000 and 30,000 over the course of the tournament. He invites others to come witness a bit of that hometown pride.
“If you like baseball and want to see some beautiful parks, for $10 you get to watch four baseball games,” he said. “It’s amazing. You will not be disappointed.”
