MITCHELL — Fred Obermeier is selfless. 

A baseball lifer, Obermeier has assisted, promoted and contributed in many ways to America’s pastime. Obermeier was umpiring games as a teenager, managing by his 20s and has been the lynchpin for Clark amateur baseball for 40 years. 

On Saturday, he was recognized for his contributions to South Dakota amateur baseball when South Dakota Amateur Baseball President Dale Weber presented him with a lifetime pass at Cadwell Park. Obermeier received the pass midway through the first semifinal game and public address announcer, Joe Van Goor, listed off Obermeier’s contributions to amateur baseball. 

“It’s just a great honor and a great award,” Obermeier said. “I’ve known Dale for so many years and it was an honor to have him present it to me.” 

And carrying on with tradition, Weber gave no prior indication of the honor and Obermeier was surprised by the recognition. Obermeier, who was the game’s official scorer, received the pass as family, friends and former players surprised him by sharing the moment. 

“It’s such a surprise and sitting in the press box starting to score this game that’s all that I was watching,” Obermeier said. “I wasn’t watching people in the stands or who was coming and going and I sit back far enough where I can’t see everybody anyway, but that was a huge surprise.”

Clark's Fred Obermeier, back, watches the action during a baseball game earlier this season. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Earlier this summer, Obermeier announced he was retiring after 40 years of managing Clark amateur baseball. Obermeier, however, will continue to be around the sport he’s given so much to. 

“I am retired from being the boss,” Obermeier, 65, said. “I will still help with baseball in Clark for all levels, which I’ve tried to do in the past anyway. But with the Traders I will still help them run the organization, but I am done being the boss.”

While he didn’t grow up playing baseball, Obermeier has worn many hats assisting with it in South Dakota. In 1971, he umpired his first baseball game at 14-years old, he’s been a certified umpire for 50 years and has served as the SDABA’s umpire in chief. 

In 1983, the Graceland Gardens were an established amateur baseball team in Clark. A group of players asked Obermeier if he’d manage a second baseball team in Clark, and the Clark Cubs were born. 

“The other team needed a leader and I was not so much the manager as I was the general manager,” Obermeier joked. “I had a lot of help over the years with helping to actually coach and run the team that way. I was the general manager with schedules and umpires, tickets and all that kind of stuff for a long time.”

Due to lack of players, Obermeier even played in two games for Clark in addition to his managerial duties. The Cubs eventually became the Traders, in honor of Obermeier’s cousin, Chess, who traded corn options on the Chicago Board of Trade and supported the team. In 1985, Obermeier managed Clark to a Class B runner-up finish.

Through the years, Clark has competed in many state tournaments and it finished 6-8 in Eastern Dakota League play this past season. The Traders failed to qualify for this year’s state tournament. 

But Obermeier was still at the state tournament scoring games and continuing to foster relationships through baseball. Those relationships, Obermeier said, are the best part about South Dakota amateur baseball.

“All the people that I’ve met through it and friends I’ve made from commissioners, to other umpires, to players on different teams all over the state,” he said. “That’s just been the coolest part of it all.”