Mitchell's band of volunteers ready for all tasks at state amateur baseball tournament

Aug. 3—Baseball is about tradition.

From everything to the ceremonial first pitch, the seventh-inning stretch and superstitions, the sport is steeped in tradition.

At the South Dakota state amateur baseball tournament, there's another tradition and it's spanned for three decades. For 12 days each August, a host of volunteers pitch in at Mitchell's Cadwell Park and serve as the field's grounds crew during the tournament.

The group of 45 volunteers do not get paid. They are merely in it for the love of the game.

"They are a bunch of guys that take a lot of pride in Cadwell Park," tournament director Jim "Jocko" Johnston said. "I think that's something that we've had in Mitchell for a long, long time."

Johnston can't remember a tournament when it didn't have volunteers. Terry Heisinger has been on the grounds crew for more than 30 years and is one of the three crew chiefs.

For Heisinger, who played amateur baseball for 24 years, it's a way to stay involved with the game.

"We have a beautiful field out there and the diamond is just awesome and we know we are part of it, along with the (city's) Park and Rec crew that come out and get it ready," Heisinger said. "It's very rewarding. I look forward to it every year. I can't wait for the tournament to start for all those reasons."

The grounds crew is broken up into three groups of 15 volunteers. Heisinger, Earl Van Berkum and Tom Meyers are the three crew chiefs. The volunteers will work every third day of the tournament.

Johnston receives calls each year from people asking to be on the grounds crew.

"Guys like to be on the grounds crew," Johnston said. "It's a good time out at the ballpark and obviously it's more than we need a lot of times, but we've got to have them there in case we need them."

Their duties are most visible between games during a session, when the volunteers work on tasks ranging from raking baselines, rechalking the baselines, cleaning out dugouts, emptying garbage cans, watering the infield dirt and filling up water coolers in the dugouts. In the case of rain, they will assist with putting the tarp over the infield.

All of that must be done in the roughly 20 minutes allotted between games. Accomplishing it neatly and on time is always the objective.

"That's another feather in your hat," Heisinger said. "It really is rewarding and you go sit and watch the next game with the guys that are on the crews with you. It just gives you a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from what we've got done out there."

The tournament starts on a Wednesday and continues for the next 12 days. But for the volunteers, it starts on the Monday before the event starts. That's when they'll tidy up Cadwell Park by cleaning out the press box, the ticket booth, the tournament headquarters building, grandstands, the Mitchell Baseball Association room and painting underneath the bleachers.

It's the start of a baseball-filled two weeks for the volunteers.

"We look forward to that every year," said Joel Schmidt, who has been on the grounds crew for more than 30 years. "It's kind of like a family reunion. You see the same people out there pretty much every year and all of our grounds crew people are good people."

The volunteers range in age from 30-to-80 years old, but no matter the age, baseball bonds them together.

"Most of us are baseball junkies anyway," Schmidt said. "We like to watch games. It doesn't matter if we know who is playing or not. We just want to be there for the games and help if they need help. If they need anything, we are there to help them out."

On the final day, the volunteers have a workers picnic during the Class B state championship and will also socialize with the state's baseball commissioners.

The volunteers are easy to spot. They all wear South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association tournament caps and are usually sitting behind the field.

The caps serve as their tournament pass and are usually a distinct color that stands out, including some years of bright red, turquoise and neon green. This year's caps are navy blue.

And just like the colorful hats, their work doesn't go unnoticed. Johnston regularly receives compliments from players, fans and the SDABA about the volunteers.

"It's a big deal to the amateur baseball association," Johnston said. "The association looks at it as a big deal and people know when they come to Mitchell for the state amateur baseball tournament, it's going to be a community event."