By Bruce Karnick

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Did you know that youth baseball in Minnesota has a statewide governing body? How about the governing body in the Metro area and its suburbs?

If you are one of hundreds of families in Hastings that participates in HYAA or Raider Nation’s baseball programs, you have undoubtedly heard of Gopher State and MBT tournaments. For those less familiar with youth sports, there are multiple organizations that work with youth baseball in the state.

In Hastings, HYAA and Raider Nation are the organizational groups. Raider Nation handles the younger inhouse teams including T-Ball. HYAA handles the older (9u on up) teams and is primarily responsible for the travelling teams. Both organizations work under the rules established by the Metro Baseball League or MBL. MBL host their state tournament, the Metro Baseball Tournament or MBT.

MBL does much more than provide rules and organize tournaments, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of an organization that deals with over 9,000 youth baseball players each summer. One of the things that MBL does is fundraise and support the communities that are part of their organization.

The MBL issued a release from its 2021 season. The Metro Baseball League, a non-profit organization created to serve youth baseball in Minnesota, is proud to announce that they contributed over $343k to the communities they serve throughout the 2021 season.

“We’re thrilled that we were able to return to normal a little bit in 2021, after COVID took such a toll on the 2020 season,” said Bob Lilledahl, MBL Executive Director. “With the challenges we faced it was a very successful year. We try to never take things for granted, but the 2020 season, or lack thereof, gave us all great perspective on the value youth baseball brings to every community and it was satisfying to be able to serve and give back to these communities in 2021.”

“The Metro Baseball League has been a tremendous help to us, with donations in excess of $20k over the last five years,” said Dave Dennig of the South Metro Miracle League. “All of our players receive a ‘buddy’ from MBL, to provide a social interaction and any physical help they might need on the field. A lot of these kids haven’t been able to participate in a team sport and I get comments from parents like, ‘I never thought I’d have the joy of seeing my son or daughter play in a team sport,’ it just brings so much joy to them, the family, and ultimately the buddy too, which MBL provides, so everybody wins.”

“It’s been a great bounce back year for us, MBL and MBT are so grateful to have the chance to provide the means and opportunity for youth baseball to thrive in all of these communities,” said Lilledahl. “We’re so thankful to the players, parents, coaches, and hundreds of volunteers that allow us to operate baseball leagues that are so vital to the well-being of the communities they serve.”

Summer youth sports have always seemed to be a rite of passage for many Hastings kids. They provide a great outlet for pent up winter energies and a wonderful teaching opportunity for life skills. Those youth programs, like baseball, rely heavily on the families of Hastings to participate, not only as youth players, but adult coaches and volunteers. If you have been on the fence about getting your child involved in a summer sport, give it a shot. Hastings has plenty of opportunities for youth sports and it is a great way to meet people with similar interests. Plus, you get outside and can enjoy many of our towns parks.

For more information on HYAA baseball or softball, visit www.hyaa.info For more information on Raider Nation visit www.raidernationbaseball. com Registration for summer sports is open for both of the above organizations, it is best to sign up early, so head on over and get registered!