MITCHELL — The wait goes on for a decision regarding the future of American Legion baseball in Mitchell.Representatives from the Mitchell Baseball Association had a closed-door meeting with officials from the South Dakota American Legion Athletic Commission on Thursday in Pierre to discuss the path for reinstating the Post 18-sponsored summer baseball program.
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Per C.P. Van Delist, department adjunct for the South Dakota American Legion, the meeting did not result in any immediate action, and there is currently no timeline for a decision to be made.“The Legion Athletic Commission met with Mitchell Baseball Association today and will come to a determination later on,” Van Delist told the Mitchell Republic on Thursday afternoon, later adding, “There is definitely no timeframe at this point.”The Mitchell Baseball Association declined to comment on the meeting when reached by the Mitchell Republic on Friday. Mitchell Baseball Association has not had a Legion baseball team on the field since the aftermath of criminal proceedings from rape charges in 2023 involving six Mitchell Legion players. Head coach Luke Norden was charged but found not guilty of failure to report abuse or neglect of a child and misprision to a felony.In November 2024, Legion officials laid out a list of requirements to be met for the reinstatement of Mitchell’s Legion baseball program ahead of 2025. Among the items listed, the Legion called for the MBA board of directors to be dissolved and for Norden to be removed.According to Van Delist, the South Dakota American Legion will not comment further until it provides a decision to the Mitchell Baseball Association.“We will provide the decision to the Mitchell Baseball Association, and we will let them do the talking for it at this point. We’ll work on something with them that we can put out together,” Van Delist said. “It’s dividing the community, we understand that; I’ve heard it and seen it. Because of that, we want to make sure that this is handled between us and the Mitchell Baseball Association.”
