Legion of South Dakota suspends Mitchell Baseball affiliation due to 'serious allegations' (2024)

MITCHELL — There will be no Mitchell Post 18 American Legion varsity baseball season this summer.

The American Legion Department of South Dakota has decided to suspend Post 18’s affiliation with and sponsorship of the Mitchell Baseball Association pending the completion of all court proceedings, per an email obtained by the Mitchell Republic.

In a release from Aug. 4, 2023, the American Legion Department of South Dakota expressed that it would address matters regarding affiliation and sponsorship “upon legal determination in the courts.” However, as the situation surrounding six Mitchell players and two MBA officials continued to evolve over the past six months, the South Dakota American Legion reconsidered its position.

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“We’re suspending it at this time because the allegations are serious,” said C.P. Van Delist, department adjutant with the South Dakota American Legion, in a phone conversation with the Mitchell Republic on Friday. “… It’s suspended for this season, and whenever all the legal proceedings are complete, that’s when we’ll start our re-evaluation process.

“We’re looking at continued sponsorship, but we wanted to make sure that, in the best interest of all parties, this was brought to a close,” Van Delist continued. “… We want to make sure this was done to give them time to work on the situation at hand.”

The MBA email, which was dated Jan. 26, 2024, and authored by MBA board member Charlie Dubanoski states that the South Dakota American Legion’s decision left the MBA without a choice. Dubanoski is also director of player/coach development for the organization in 2022 and has been the Dakota Wesleyan University head baseball coach since 2021.

“With this unfortunate action, MBA is forced to not have a Legion baseball season and we will communicate with parents/players the next steps as we receive them,” the email read.

The email also says the South Dakota American Legion’s Athletic Commission was asked if an organization other than MBA could step in or if players need to proceed through a formal release process to play Legion baseball this summer. The Athletic Commission, the email explains, needs to research and return a response to those questions.

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Mitchell’s Junior Legion will be allowed to play in South Dakota Class A, as usual, this summer, while the South Dakota High School Baseball Association is allowing the MBA to play in the spring 2024 season.

Six former Mitchell Post 18 American Legion baseball players are accused of rape in Pennington County. Their next court hearing is set for July. Two Mitchell Baseball Association board members, former head Legion coach Luke Norden and past president Jeremy Borgan, have been charged with misdemeanors in connection to the rape, including failure to report the abuse or neglect of a child and misprision of a felony.

As the MBA plans for the spring 2024 season, the organization must elect a new president. Former president Jason Christensen submitted his resignation on Nov. 28, 2023.

“I decided to step away because it was getting time consuming with everything going on. I was also getting busy with basketball season and have more responsibilities at Dakota Wesleyan, too,” Christensen told the Mitchell Republic on Friday. “I want to be able to concentrate on my family at home, my basketball team and the things going on at Dakota Wesleyan.”

Though Dubanoski declined to comment on the state of the MBA board or the South Dakota American Legion’s decision when reached by phone on Friday, he said the MBA is holding a board meeting on Monday to elect a new president.

Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic's coverage region area, focusing on Mitchell High School football and boys basketball and area high school football, volleyball and basketball, as well as Dakota Wesleyan women's basketball. He was also the lead on the Mitchell Republic Gridiron Spotlight, producing video and providing live play-by-play for the traveling weekly prep football broadcast during its first season in the fall of 2021. Dierks is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor's degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021. He can be reached at ldierks@mitchellrepublic.com and found on Twitter at @LDierksy.