BRANDON — It’s been nearly two years since the decision was made to have Brandon Valley be the official host of the 2025 Class A and B state amateur baseball tournaments, set for Aug. 6-17.

While it’ll be a different experience seeing the August Classic take place in Brandon as opposed to the usual host, Mitchell, the Brandon Valley Baseball Association (BVBA) has put countless hours into preparing for its biggest baseball tournament in the towns’ history.

“We run four tournaments a year,” said BVBA President Stuart Peschel. “A lot of them are our youth tournaments, they’re three day tournaments, but it's the same concept. This tournament is just longer. So I feel like people are going to be, I think they're going to be surprised at what they get here in Brandon, and I think it's going to be a good experience for everybody.”

The process for building a tournament-level baseball complex began back in 2016 when the BVBA raised enough money to completely tear down and rebuild a $1.5 million facility, equipped with new dugouts, an all-turf infield, deeper outfield fences, among other improved amenities. The field’s drainage system has also improved significantly, allowing games to stay on schedule in the event of heavy rainfall.

“We extended the field and made it deeper, so it's 315 down the lines, 350 in the power alleys, and then 375 feet dead center,” said Peschel. “We got a brand new backstop netting that goes up 35 feet, which helps keep balls in the park as opposed to flying out to the other fields that are surrounding us.”

The field also includes a 475-seat grand stand and concessions area, as well as a new, air conditioned press box.

With a brand new ballpark, the first big tournament hosted at First National Bank Field was the State A American Legion baseball tournament in 2021 which was part of the city’s selling point when applying for the 2025 bid.

(Courtesy Photo / Stuart Peschel)

“A lot of those commissioners, they had grandkids playing in that Legion state tournament that we hosted in ‘21, so they experienced that. The only thing really considerably different here is No. 1 we're selling beer, and No. 2, this is a 12 day tournament instead of a five day tournament, but you're going to get basically the same product that you got at the Legion in ‘21.”

Of course, there has been plenty of discourse and drama surrounding the move out of Cadwell Park for the tournament with past experiences in Minnehaha County, but Peschel says the fan experience has been the focal point of the Brandon-led state tournament.

“They're also going to enjoy the same pricing that they've seen in Mitchell,” Peschel said. “Beers are four bucks. A bucket of six is 20 bucks. You're going to get chicken strips, corn dogs, fries. We're going to have the whole realm there. So it's going to be an affordable experience for people.”

Fans will also have seating and tall tables around the concourse, bleacher seating down both foul lines, and will also have TVs broadcasting the game set up by the concession stands so you don’t miss any action while waiting in line.

The infrastructure of the Brandon baseball complex was stressed heavily when it came to preparing for this tournament. While Peschel says the BVBA has goals set in place to measure a successful weekend, the main concern was about the fan experience.

“Our goal is just to make sure that everybody has a great time,” Peschel said. “People walk out, they're not complaining about the parking lot. They're not complaining about waiting for a beer. We have four bars set up, so you shouldn't be more than probably 25 feet from a bar. You shouldn't be more than 25-30 feet from a restroom. We'll have two concession stands set up. So there's going to be plenty of opportunities to get through a line and that type of stuff.”

This year’s tournament will also feature a brand new parking package that allows fans to back their trucks up to the outfield fence to watch one session of the state tournament. The idea came about this season from Peschel’s experience going to numerous South Central League baseball games.

For $155, the package includes six tickets for the session, a six pack of beer, soda, or a combo, and access to a private bar and truck delivery during the session. It’s a first come, first serve system with 7 available spots per session in left field, and 14 spots in right field.

“I've been to a lot of amateur games around the state, and especially some of these B games,” Peschel said. “I've been to Tabor, I've been to Menno, we've been to Irene. And when you get to those fields, a lot of these guys like to back their truck right up to the fence, sit in the back of the truck, have a few beers and watch the game. We have that opportunity here at this park for those guys.”

Another new aspect of the tournament will take place during championship Sunday with a state championship board similar to the Super Bowl Squares game, only this will track hits, strikeouts and runs.

While the 2025 state amateur baseball tournaments won’t be at Cadwell Park, there will still be plenty of traditions and characteristics about Mitchell carried over to Brandon, including the famous onion burgers, bingo and 50/50 raffle tickets, as well as Joe Van Goor doing the public address announcing.

“You can't do a tournament without Joe so we're excited to have him,” said Peschel of Van Goor. “He was very gracious about doing it and we want to make sure that those staples of the Mitchell-hosted tournament are going to be in Brandon.”

The other usual traditions that will continue this year are Veterans night, the Hall of Fame night, and the 25th anniversary championship team.

The last 18 months of preparation for the BVBA will be put on full display next weekend at the South Dakota state amateur baseball tournament, and Peschel says he hopes people will show their support regardless of the location.

“We're going to roll out the red carpet for these fans, and we hope that they're going to drive on over and not let that hour between Mitchell and Brandon scare you, and come on over here and support amateur baseball in the state and give us an opportunity,” said Peschel.

The South Dakota State amateur baseball tournament kicks off Aug. 6-17 at First National Bank Field at Aspen Park in Brandon and Legion Field in Valley Springs.