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Jan. 12—MITCHELL — The South Dakota American Legion has reinstated Mitchell's Legion baseball program for 2026 through the newly created Palace City Baseball Association.
The South Dakota American Legion Athletic Commission approved the new organization for play during a meeting on Sunday, affiliating again with Mitchell American Legion Post 18.
"We are honored to represent Post 18 and to bring American Legion Baseball back to the Mitchell community," PCBA President Jeff McCormick said in an announcement. "This milestone reflects our responsibility to ensure this opportunity and our commitment to youth baseball in Mitchell."
In a statement, Palace City Baseball said it will sponsor Junior Legion and Senior Legion teams starting with the 2026 season.
Palace City Baseball Association is the new parent-led group that is responsible for summer baseball in Mitchell for players ages 13 to 18 and has a six-person board of directors. The organization said in November 2025 that it was working with the state Legion Athletic Commission to gain reinstatement into the American Legion baseball program.
"American Legion Baseball carries a rich tradition of providing opportunities for young athletes across South Dakota and the nation," the PCBA statement said. "On Jan. 11, 2026, the South Dakota American Legion Athletic Commission officially welcomed PCBA into the program. PCBA has worked diligently to meet the SDAL requirements and will continue to work together to ensure all standards are upheld."
Palace City Baseball said registration is open for players for the season online at
palacecitybaseball.com.
Any potential 13-and-under, 14-and-under and 16-and-under teams will play under the South Dakota Class A baseball program, which involves all of the like-sized cities in South Dakota and their respective baseball programs.
Legion-age baseball players from Mitchell have been suspended from participating in Legion games since the 2023 season was halted due by rape allegations involving members of the team. Six members of the team were charged criminally and faced felony charges related to second-degree rape. All six members pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the case.
Since November 2024, the South Dakota American Legion had stipulated a number of conditions to address changes with how Legion baseball was administered in Mitchell. That included changing the team's coach, replacing board members with the Mitchell Baseball Association and a plan to outline changes for "addressing the climate and culture" of the MBA.
One of the additional stipulations was that a lawsuit involving one of the former Mitchell baseball players against the state Legion organization and a number of South Dakota media outlets would need to be resolved before the state organization would sanction a team from Mitchell. But with a new organization and board of directors taking the lead in Mitchell, the state American Legion allowed sanctioning Legion teams to move ahead for 2026.
In 2024, there was no Legion baseball in Mitchell and in 2025, high school-age players played a limited schedule, including against many out-of-state teams. The Mitchell Baseball Association will continue to manage spring high school-level baseball and will be the host organization for the South Dakota amateur baseball tournament when it is held at Cadwell Park.
To help fund the inaugural season, Palace City Baseball
has set a goal of raising $70,000
to support its baseball teams ahead of the 2026 season, and to pay for coaching and umpire fees, facility costs, equipment and uniforms and player development costs.
Continue reading...
The South Dakota American Legion Athletic Commission approved the new organization for play during a meeting on Sunday, affiliating again with Mitchell American Legion Post 18.
"We are honored to represent Post 18 and to bring American Legion Baseball back to the Mitchell community," PCBA President Jeff McCormick said in an announcement. "This milestone reflects our responsibility to ensure this opportunity and our commitment to youth baseball in Mitchell."
In a statement, Palace City Baseball said it will sponsor Junior Legion and Senior Legion teams starting with the 2026 season.
Palace City Baseball Association is the new parent-led group that is responsible for summer baseball in Mitchell for players ages 13 to 18 and has a six-person board of directors. The organization said in November 2025 that it was working with the state Legion Athletic Commission to gain reinstatement into the American Legion baseball program.
"American Legion Baseball carries a rich tradition of providing opportunities for young athletes across South Dakota and the nation," the PCBA statement said. "On Jan. 11, 2026, the South Dakota American Legion Athletic Commission officially welcomed PCBA into the program. PCBA has worked diligently to meet the SDAL requirements and will continue to work together to ensure all standards are upheld."
Palace City Baseball said registration is open for players for the season online at
palacecitybaseball.com.
Any potential 13-and-under, 14-and-under and 16-and-under teams will play under the South Dakota Class A baseball program, which involves all of the like-sized cities in South Dakota and their respective baseball programs.
Legion-age baseball players from Mitchell have been suspended from participating in Legion games since the 2023 season was halted due by rape allegations involving members of the team. Six members of the team were charged criminally and faced felony charges related to second-degree rape. All six members pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the case.
Since November 2024, the South Dakota American Legion had stipulated a number of conditions to address changes with how Legion baseball was administered in Mitchell. That included changing the team's coach, replacing board members with the Mitchell Baseball Association and a plan to outline changes for "addressing the climate and culture" of the MBA.
One of the additional stipulations was that a lawsuit involving one of the former Mitchell baseball players against the state Legion organization and a number of South Dakota media outlets would need to be resolved before the state organization would sanction a team from Mitchell. But with a new organization and board of directors taking the lead in Mitchell, the state American Legion allowed sanctioning Legion teams to move ahead for 2026.
In 2024, there was no Legion baseball in Mitchell and in 2025, high school-age players played a limited schedule, including against many out-of-state teams. The Mitchell Baseball Association will continue to manage spring high school-level baseball and will be the host organization for the South Dakota amateur baseball tournament when it is held at Cadwell Park.
To help fund the inaugural season, Palace City Baseball
has set a goal of raising $70,000
to support its baseball teams ahead of the 2026 season, and to pay for coaching and umpire fees, facility costs, equipment and uniforms and player development costs.
Continue reading...
