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South Dakota Veterans of Foreign Wars baseball program has given boys between the ages of 13 and 16 a chance to play baseball since 1959. Originally Junior-Junior Baseball, it was renamed Teener Baseball in 1959, the name was changed again in 1992 to VFW Baseball. From 1959 to 1968, a playoff was held between the State A and State B Tournament winners as part of competition that led to a National Teener Tournament in Hershey, Pa. The National Tournament has been discontinued. In 1973 a Class AA was formed creating a third State Tournament and allowing more players to participate in tournament competition. In 2008 the AA Varsity Class was divided into “Majors” and “Minors”.
In 1992 the first 13-14 year old division tournament was held and in 1996 two classes were formed AA and A. In 2005 the AA Class was divided into “Majors” and “Minors” A baseball organization must have a “major” team to enter a team in the “minor” class. If they qualify, they can entry one or more teams in the minor class. In 2009 a B Class was started putting four classes into this Division.
In 2006 we started the first 12 and under Division State Tournament with three Classes, AA Travel, A Class and B Class. The first tournament was played in Mitchell with 32 teams. This tournament has grown to 40 in 2009.
In 2009 we started the first 10 and under Division State Tournament with three Classes, AA Travel, A Class and B Class. The first tournament was played in Flandreau with 28 teams. This tournament will be held in Sioux Falls in 2010.
Teams were first divided into classes by city population that was changed in 2004 when teams were divided up by their school enrollments. Due to declining populations in rural areas, the state rules were changed in 2005 to allow girls to play. The program is headed by a State Chairman, State Officers and a group of regional commissioners. Each year an Annual Meeting is held to discuss rules and pick tournament sites. Along with the commissioners and state baseball committee members, each registered team has a vote at the annual meeting concerning the rules and regulations that run the program.
Regional and state tournaments are held in late July and early August of each year. Team sportsmanship plaques are presented in the Varsity Division by the South Dakota Umpires Association and in the 13-14 Year Old Division. The Department of South Dakota VFW presents the plaques in memory of William Radigan who served on the Baseball Committee for forty years as Department Adjutant/Quartermaster.
The summer 2009 there were 222 teams and 3,200 plus players that participated in the program state wide. Fourteen state champions were crowned. Each tournament game is required to have the Pledge of Allegiance and the VFW Baseball Sportsmanship Code recited by the players before the game starts. The purpose of this program is to create fellowship, leadership and teamwork among the youth of South Dakota. The summer of 2010 the South Dakota Veterans of Foreign Wars will provide this opportunity to our youth for the fifty first year in a row and the sounds of “play ball” will echo across the ball fields of South Dakota.
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