Town ball thrives on Minnesota's hometown pride

One warm Friday evening, I drove out to a ballpark in a farm field south of Hastings — home of the Miesville Mudhens — to experience a Minnesota tradition: "town ball."

The vibe: It's "about as close as you're going to get" to "Field of Dreams," Mudhens groundskeeper Brian Meyers tells Axios.

Why it matters: Amateur baseball thrives in Minnesota in a way it hasn't elsewhere in the country, with nearly 270 locally rooted teams representing big cities and small towns.

• For fans of teams like the Midway Snurdbirds, Hadley Buttermakers and Hancock Orphans, it's cheap, family-friendly entertainment.

How it works: Town ball is defined by the teams' local roots. Most players must live within 30 miles of their home park, Minnesota Baseball Association president Mark Forsman tells Axios.

• Current or former college players make up around 40% of town ball team rosters, Forsman estimates.
• Players' ages and experience levels vary. Forsman began managing the Dassel-Cokato Saints at age 19, and only stopped playing when he was in his mid-50s — which isn't unusual in town ball.

The game I attended had a block party feel, with adults eating brats and sipping drinks while their kids, some of whom had just wrapped a little league game nearby, hung on the third base fence watching the game.

• The Mudhens beat Hampton 4-0. Former U of M player Ronnie Sweeny had one of Miesville's two hits: a towering homer.

Meyers grew up around Miesville (current population: 119) "going to every game in the summer, chasing foul balls with all my buddies and beating each other up" so he could be the one to return it to the concession stand for a quarter. (The bounty is now $1 per ball. Inflation!)

• He made the Mudhens at 17, and playing for them was "probably one of the best experiences of my life — to be in a dugout with the same guys I grew up wanting to be."

Catch up quick: Though the state no longer has the nearly 800 town ball teams it once boasted, the Minnesota Baseball Association remains the biggest amateur circuit in the U.S., according to Forsman.

• The 102-year-old state tournament draws over 28,000 fans annually, he says.

Behind the scenes: Like most teams, the Mudhens are run by around 120 volunteers who take tickets, make P.A. announcements and serve beers — which start at just $4.

• Meyers and his wife also manage the team's apparel sales and even players help with groundskeeping duties.

Stop by: Dozens more teams within an hour's drive of the metro offer a taste of town ball.