MITCHELL — Tyler Earls splits his time pitching in the Cornbelt League and throwing bags in cornhole tournaments. 

For the past seven years, Earls has been one of the top pitchers for the Salem Cubs, and before that, the Mitchell Mad Dogs.

And while most know Earls from his pitching on the mound and the game of baseball, few know about his connection with one of the most popular lawn games in the country: cornhole.

Between Earls and his wife, Julie, it’s an interest that stems back nearly a decade and has grown immensely since.

Tyler and his wife Julie at a cornhole tournament. (Courtesy photo)

“We played in a league probably eight or nine years ago and then kind of just got into the sport playing a little here and there,” said Earls.

As the years went on, Earls became more involved with local cornhole tournaments, and eventually found his way into a directing role.

“A couple of years down the road I ended up helping out to run the league,” said Earls. “So I ended up becoming somewhat of a director. Another year down the road and I thought ‘Maybe I could run another tournament by myself,’ and so I ran another tournament by myself.”

Earls is now a conference director for the American Cornhole League, which covers many states in the Midwest.

(Courtesy Photo)

“I was a regional director for the American Cornhole League, which is like the league that you see on TV and stuff,” said Earls. “And then I became a conference director, so I have Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota all under me and I had to hire directors underneath me to grow the sport as well.”

As a conference director, Earls is required to run at least 13 tournaments a year, with three of them including teams from all three states under his region.

Earls has also been South Dakota’s state director for the ACL for the last four years, running tournaments all over South Dakota in places like Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre, and even Chamberlain.

“It kind of started as something small and ended up growing into something big, and now I even help national directors with tournaments,” said Earls. “I went to Colorado and helped with one on ESPN, and I was in Minneapolis at the beginning of June, helping with there as well.”

With the increased roles and responsibilities in the world of cornhole, it’s been quite a challenge to manage.

 Photo of Earls competing in a cornhole tournament. (Courtesy Photo)

Earls says between his day job, amateur baseball, and cornhole, it’s tough to find a balance.

“It takes a lot of time. I’ve got my normal 45-hour job but what’s nice is I only work four-day weeks,” said Earls. “But then I get home and I’m on my phone answering questions from anyone that wants to be a part of the tournaments that are coming up. So you're looking at a 40-hour job in just the cornhole world, and on top of all that you’ve got my sport I’m currently playing, baseball.”

Earls is also a founder of the Corn Palace Cornhole league, a league primarily based out of Mitchell, with a name Earls felt fit his goal for the league.

(Courtesy Photo)

“When I first got to thinking of the Corn Palace Cornhole idea, it was kind of like ‘Well, what names would make sense’,” said Earls. “How could you bring the community of Mitchell into the world of cornhole, you know, to represent the city itself. And I’ve always loved the city of Mitchell, and we have the Corn Palace, so the name just rolls off the tongue.”

Most recently, Earls was given the opportunity to run a cornhole tournament on Aug. 3 at the Birdcage in Sioux Falls, and it was an opportunity he couldn’t decline.

“It was cool. It was a fundraiser, and BJ Podhradsky had ended up hearing about my name and how I run tournaments and stuff and so he asked if I would help run this one, and I said absolutely,” said Earls. “For me being a baseball guy, to have a shot to run a tournament in the Canaries ballpark, you know, I couldn’t say no.”

But this weekend, cornhole will have to take a backseat. Salem is back in the state tournament after a one year hiatus, as Earls and the Cubs open up the afternoon session on Saturday against Mount Vernon at 5:30 p.m. at Cadwell Park in Mitchell.