By Rich Winter

605 Sports

NORTHVILLE — On Tuesday, July 11 players from the Northern Prairie Youth Baseball League gathered in  Northville for a 12U all-star game and Home Run Derby. 

With fans filling every seat and 90 cars parked around the field, league Commissioner Sal Roseland stepped into the dugout to get a feel for what the players were experiencing. 

“I was sitting in the dugout and all the kids’ eyes were just big,” Roseland said “They told me how many kids they were getting to meet and how nice all of them were.” 

While the event was a smash hit for players from Faulkton, Miller, Redfield, Warner, Ipswich, Roscoe, Northville and Gettysburg it took a lot of patience, effort and hope to even keep the league alive.

All-Star players line up for Tuesday's 12u All-Star game in Northville - Courtesy photo

Six years ago youth baseball was dying in Faulkton and the surrounding towns. 

Competition from other sports, the great outdoors and an old-fashioned rule book had the league on the verge of collapse.

“Camping was ruling the roost and small-town baseball in our area was dying,” Roseland said. 

With small towns getting smaller and his boys old enough to play, Roseland accepted the commissioner position six years ago. 

The first year was not without issues.

“A lot of times teams could have two good pitchers and win a tournament,” Roseland said. “A lot of kids were quitting because they were locked into one position so we switched to the VFW rules. So many kids never had the opportunity to pitch and every kid’s dream is to be able to pitch.” 

After a moderation of league pitching rules Roseland said the league began to prosper. 

“To me that has propelled small town baseball,” Roseland said. “The changes kept kids from quitting and it has been really cool to see baseball grow.” 

Initially Roseland said it was hard to get people out of their programs but after multiple successful years people started realizing that if one program prospers they  all prosper. 

At one point in the not-so-distant past the Northern Prairie Youth Baseball League had dwindled to four teams. On July 15, 10 teams from eight towns (Miller and Redfield have two teams) gathered for their season-ending 12U tournament. 

In Faulkton itself Roseland said there are 52 youth participating in baseball in three different age divisions.

Roseland noted that people can tell a lot about a small town by the condition of their football and baseball field. Several of the towns and teams have seen massive improvements to their facilities in the last few years. 

“The Minnesota Twins gave us a grant that allowed us to put in a wood field,” Roseland said. “A lot of teams are now applying for grants and other teams and towns have stepped up to improve the conditions of their fields.”

The recent all-star game was held in the small town of Northville which Roseland says has a population of about 200 people. Folks in the area call that field one of the hidden gems in South Dakota.

“The field is built against their old school with the right-field wall coming up against the school,” he said. “It’s kinda like the green monster and is second to none compared to other fields.” 

Roseland notes that league structure and parent involvement from every single town have been key to the growth and success of the league. 

The Northern Prairie Youth Baseball league played their all-star game in a truly unique field in Northville - Courtesy photo