Mitchell Parks and Rec focusing on baseball skills, leaving games to local clubs

MITCHELL — This summer, youth baseball in Mitchell is set to look much different.

Previously, local youth baseball was a balance of league offerings through the Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department and a collection of clubs sponsoring traveling teams. Due to declining participation, however, the Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department has done away with its leagues this summer in favor of a skill development camp. Meanwhile, traveling teams have become the avenue for young players to gain in-game experience.

At the forefront of the changing local youth baseball landscape is Jeremy Gunkel and the club he has operated since founding it in 2015, the Mitchell Avengers. After learning that the Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department wasn’t going to offer opportunities to play baseball games, the Avengers, one of several youth clubs representing Mitchell, held a parent meeting and decided to open up the once-private club to public registration.

Eight different rosters are set to take to the diamond under the Avengers banner this year, with the club offering two different opportunities: a traveling team and a local team. As the name suggests, traveling teams will hit the road to attend tournaments, including some with overnight stays. Meanwhile, local teams will participate in tournaments in Mitchell and surrounding communities that allow the team to be back on the same day.

“Our main goal is to pick up the slack for all these kids that don't have an opportunity to play baseball and do what we can to help them learn the game with some good quality practices and get some games in at the same time,” Gunkel told the Mitchell Republic.

According to Recreation Superintendent Kevin DeVries, participation in the Mitchell Parks and Recreation youth baseball programs has been declining for five to 10 years. Previously, organizers could typically expect to fill between six and eight teams of 12 to 14 kids each in the first and second-grade age group. Last year, in that same age group, there were barely enough kids registered to form three teams.

The issue was only more pronounced among the older age groups, as there weren’t enough participants to form two teams for the third and fourth-grade or fifth and sixth-grade leagues. The solution required combining some age groups, which DeVries noted as a challenge for both organizers and participants.

“It was significant enough to where we have to make this change (to focus on skill development), but we didn't want to get rid of the program period,” DeVries said.

As an alternative, the Parks and Recreation Department is offering skill development camps for baseball and softball, open to all students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The camps will run approximately one hour on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout June at the Cadwell Sports Complex.

According to DeVries, the camps will cover the fundamentals of the sport as well as learning different positions and game situations. Dakota Wesleyan University baseball players will help with the baseball side, while the Mitchell High School coaches are set to assist on the softball side.

“It's disappointing a little bit to not have that many kids,” DeVries said of the new baseball offerings from the city. “But I think this was a good alternative, and it’s a great way for kids to learn and participate.”

Though the structure has changed rapidly, both parties are still happy to coexist. DeVries said he’s all in favor of youth joining traveling baseball teams to compete. Meanwhile, Gunkel believes that the new skill development offerings through the Parks and Recreation Department are beneficial for young players.

“We’re encouraging all of our kids (in the Mitchell Avengers program) to go sign up,” Gunkel said.

While the long-term future is shrouded in uncertainty, DeVries is hopeful that the traveling teams and local Parks and Recreation programs can come together and contribute to a robust local baseball scene in Mitchell.

“I hope someday that we can get back together,” DeVries said. “We’d still be able to have traveling teams, but also have an in-town league for everybody to participate in.”