The South Dakota American Legion Baseball State Tournament is one of the biggest events on the high school sports calendar. With the opportunity to host it coming ever-so-often, each time the event is held, it’s a time for that community to show the rest of the state what they have.

This year was Brookings’ opportunity to host the event and it did not disappoint. With close games, a beautiful ballpark and a team that surpassed expectations, Brookings baseball was fully on display and you could argue that it had its day (or its week) throughout the tournament.

The most noticeable aspect was the setting for the tournament, Bob Shelden Field. The ballpark underwent a renovation in 2020 and it created a beautiful backdrop for most of the action.

As someone who came to Brookings, a park like Bob Shelden Field shouldn’t be taken for granted. In my hometown of Rochester, Minn., high school games were played at Mayo Field, a park with plenty of space but a grandstand that appeared to be constructed with an Erector set.

During the Bandits’ first game of the state tournament against Rapid City, I took a moment to sit on the hill as part of the First National Bank “Big Fly Zone” in right field. Most of the time, baseball games at Bob Shelden Field are a blur, trying to get photos and pay attention to the action but taking a moment to admire the setting turned out to be a great idea.

The Bandits were part of that atmosphere as they pulled off a remarkable run during the tournament. One of the best parts of following a high school team is when the light bulb comes on and a team turns close losses into victories, but rarely does that happen during the season.

Brookings started the year with a 7-17 record in its first 24 games and came into the tournament as the No. 7 seed by hosting the state tournament. While drawing Rapid City Post 22 was a tall task, the Bandits put their improvement on display with a 5-2 victory that sparked the rest of the tournament.

The Bandits had to wait a while to get going the following night as their game with Renner was suspended due to lightning but the next day they took the eventual state champions to the limit, falling in a 1-0 game that was decided on a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The remainder of the tournament made the Bandits feel like a team of destiny or one that embraced the mantra of getting hot at the right time. Their pitching became contagious with Tyson Antonen’s outing against the Hardhats carrying over to Austin Clark against Renner and Zach Struck against Brandon Valley.

Struck’s six shutout innings against Brandon Valley put the Bandits into the final four and a 13-1 win over rival Watertown that featured Owen Schneider’s three-run home run which helped Brookings walk off via the 10-run rule.

The magic ended for Brookings against Renner the following day, but it didn’t wipe out what the Bandits accomplished. They put together a 16-5 record over their final 21 games to close the season and a team that looked like it could get eliminated early in the tournament managed to use timely hitting and excellent pitching to get two wins away from an improbable state title.

This would have been meaningful wherever the tournament was played but it had an exclamation point since it was at home. The Brookings community showed up in force to support the Bandits and even with temperatures soaring into the 90s, fans showed up to give the Bandits an extra wave of energy.

Bob Shelden Field was alive and it wasn’t just for the Brookings games. Fans from each community made their way to support their teams and got a good glimpse of what Brookings baseball was all about.

It featured other big upsets such as Harrisburg Gold, the undefeated top seed, first losing to Watertown and then to Renner. It saw the Hardhats, a team with a deep baseball tradition, lose to Brookings and get bounced on the third day of the tournament.

It saw extra-inning games, a Cinderella story and even a bounceback or two…even if it meant coming back from a line drive. It showed all sorts of resilience, which made for an entertaining tournament.

The excitement was evident sitting on that hill and it’s why Brookings took full advantage of its opportunity hosting this year’s tournament.