CORSICA — When it comes to youth sports programs in small town South Dakota, it requires plenty of helping hands and volunteers, willing to invest and putting in the time for the local kids in the community.

And in the Corsica community, nobody was more involved in the little league baseball programs than Chad Wentland.

Wentland played a crucial role in the baseball programs in Corsica for the past roughly 15 years, as well as being involved in other youth sports such as football and basketball until last December after passing away at the age of 48 after battling cancer.

“There was years that he coached 6U, 8U, 10U and 12U — every single team,” said Corsica Horned Frogs manager Luke Bamberg. “And so obviously, nights where he would be there from 4 o'clock all the way till close to 10 o'clock coaching our youth.”

After his passing last December, the Corsica summer rec board got to work on how they could  continue Wentland’s legacy.

After some discussion, they first started the Chad Wentland Memorial tournament for 8U this summer, a one-day tournament that brought in eight area 8U teams to play games in both Corsica and Stickney. The tournament was hosted on the last day of the town’s Wing Ding Days.

“He always wanted to do a baseball tournament,” said Bamberg. “Kind of like an 8U tournament where it's a little bit more simple to run since it's just coach pitch and not needing to umpire balls and strikes and stuff like that. But he had always wanted to do that. So we put it out to everybody, and it was kind of a first come, first serve, and whoever wanted to be a part of that, and it ended up being a nice little tournament.”

The second idea will take place this Thursday before the Corsica Horned Frogs 4th of July matchup with Platte Killer Tomatoes. The Horned Frogs will host a dedication ceremony to the little league field in Corsica, which will officially be named the Chad Wentland Memorial Field.

Chad Wentland pictured with his wife, Tara, and two sons, Brendan and Tyson, after a game at the 2024 Class B high school state tournament in Sioux Falls. (Courtesy Photo / Tara Wentland)

When Chad’s wife, Tara, got word of the dedication, she said it was an awesome feeling that his name will live on for many years to come.

“It's just amazing to think that his legacy is going to live on forever,” said Tara. “For years to come, people will just always remember who he was and much of a part he had in our baseball community.”

Tara will also be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the amateur game Thursday, which is a full circle moment to last season when Chad threw out the first pitch before the Horned Frogs opening round game at the Class B state amateur tournament, their first appearance at the tournament in five years.

“I was nervous and excited,” said Tara on hearing she would be throwing out the first pitch. “The support that's been shown to our family has just been phenomenal. It was just very humbling and overwhelming. We were very, very honored that they wanted to do all this in remembrance of him.”

Just below the Chad Wentland Memorial Field sign is a large rock, signifying the rock that Chad was to the youth programs in Corsica for many years. At Thursday’s game, a home plate plaque showcasing his involvement with the programs will be placed on the rock as well.

“It just kind of felt fitting to have Tara throw out the first pitch, especially with two of her kids on the team there, when we dedicate that plaque to them and the field, in Chad's memory,” said Bamberg. “It just kind of felt like a cool little segway and wrap up into making everything come full circle.”

Tyson and Brendan are two of the three Wentland sons on the Corsica Horned Frogs. The youngest of the three, Tryton, played for the 10U Corsica baseball team last season, finishing with a 28-0 record and the state championship, coached by his father Chad. Their father also coached all three boys on the Pony Hills Thunder, a local travel ball team.

A photo of Chad, Tara, and Tryton after winning the 10U state championship last season. (Courtesy Photo / Tara Wentland)

“The team success speaks for itself,” said Bamberg. “There's a couple championships in there, league championships. That just doesn't happen by accident. You need kids that are very talented, and a lot of them the same age. But when he kind of had that success, year over year and multiple teams. A lot of it just comes from the focus that he had as a coach, wanting those kids to get better too.”

Bamberg says with the amount of effort that goes into coaching youth sports, it speaks volumes to the person Chad Wentland was in the Corsica community.

“Anytime you have a small town, you need people to step up,” said Bamberg. “Whether it's kind of a paid position or a lot of volunteer hours, nobody really does it for the pay. The amount of hours that you do, getting the field ready, making the schedule, getting kids signed up practices, getting kids playing time, all that. The amount of years that he did that, obviously speaks volumes in itself.”

The Corsica Horned Frogs face the Platte Killer Tomatoes on Thursday, July 3, in Corsica. A super will be served starting at 6:30, with the dedication beginning at 7:15 p.m. There will also be a firework display following the game.