Parkston among best Class B baseball fields

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Many summer nights are filled with fans flocking to watch their favorite baseball teams and many area towns pride themselves on being the best place to catch a game.

“I think our field is just as good as any other field in the state,” said Parkston Mudcats Manager Dave Roth.

While most agree that Cadwell Park in Mitchell is one of the best spots to catch a game, many Class B amateur teams feel they are top-notch for small-town parks.

“As far as the setting goes our field is probably the prettiest,” said Wessington Springs Manager Nathan Hainy.

“Wessington Springs is a pretty nice place to watch a game.”

Trever Vermeulen, a player on Alexandria’s amateur team, said a great atmosphere for a game doesn’t come from the park but the fans that show up to support their teams.

“The more fans, the merrier,” he said. “The louder it is the better the atmosphere. Alexandria has a great atmosphere and great fans.”

Alexandria Manager Chris Marek said his team has some of the best support around which makes the Angels’ games some of the best to watch.

“I think Alexandria is creating a great atmosphere,” he said. “We’ve got new dugouts and a press box and we’re hoping to put a grass infield in this fall to improve the playing surface.”

Marek said a grass infield is important for a field to truly be one of the best and mentioned Platte and Parkston when asked about the best parks to play at.

Platte Manager Todd Strand said his team enjoys playing on one of the nicer fields in the area.

“We take a lot of pride in the field and we have a lot of people that take care of it,” he said. “They do a standout job.”

Strand said for the combination of field conditions and set up for fans, Parkston’s field is one of the best.

“The way they’ve got theirs set up is nice,” he said.

Roth said he believes his team’s home field is idolized due to the seating.

“A lot of it has to do with seating and the looks of the park,” he said. “It makes it nice for people to come watch and we’ve got a lot of seating for them to come.”

Tags: sports, updates, parkston, baseball