MITCHELL — The roadway to see baseball played in Mitchell next week will be open just in time for the South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament.
The South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament is to be held this year in Mitchell at Cadwell Park, and city officials say the 13th Avenue roadway will be ready for tournament traffic. The tournament starts on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 16.
Mitchell Public Works Supervising Engineer Terry Johnson told the Mitchell Republic access to the parking lots at Cadwell will be available from Minnesota Street.
“It’ll be just like normal,” Johnson said.
The street at 13th Avenue and the Minnesota Street intersection will be surfaced with temporary gravel during the event.
“We will be doing a short pause during the amateur baseball tournament, so we can allow vehicles through there. But once the tournament’s over, then we will jump back on there and complete the project this year,” Johnson said.
Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
However, road work will continue on 13th Avenue from Minnesota Street to Wisconsin Street during the tournament.
“We’ll probably be doing some work around the pond, but we won’t be doing anything between Minnesota and the parking lot for access for the tournament,” Johnson said.
The infrastructure project is to be completed in November.
1/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
2/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
3/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
4/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
5/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
6/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
7/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
8/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
9/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
10/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
11/13: 13th Avenue from Minnesota Steet to Wisconsin Street to remain closed during the upcoming baseball tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
12/13: Sewer drainage installation is underway on 13th Avenue at Cadwell Park, but officials say the roadway will be open in time for the State Amateur Baseball Tournament, as pictured on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
13/13: The detention pond at Cadwell Park on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
According to Johnson, other events this year at Cadwell have had access from Eighth Avenue to Cadwell Park and the Public Works Department has planned to have 13th Avenue opened for the tournament.
Rainy weather earlier this year and ground water found while digging have slowed progress on the project, according to Johnson. The area along the 13th Avenue is saturated with groundwater and crews are digging through groundwater to install storm sewer drain lines.
“We knew that we would probably encounter it because it’s a wet area, but we probably didn’t realize how much of it we’re having to deal with,” Johnson said.
The storm sewer installed so far is draining groundwater toward the pond along the Highway 37 bypass, according to Johnson. Crews started with the pond, and have worked their ways eastward along 13th Avenue to lay new water and sewer lines and are in the process of laying storm sewer infrastructure from the pond to Wisconsin Street. Crews are installing storm sewer lines along the parking lot behind Drake Field now, according to Johnson.
The detention pond at Cadwell Park on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Mitchell.
Marshall Mitchell / Mitchell Republic
The storm sewer infrastructure is new to the area and is hoped to alleviate flooding issues, according to Johnson. The storm sewer currently runs from Minnesota and Wisconsin streets to Sanborn Boulevard.
According to Johnson, smaller amounts of stormwater around 13th Avenue will go toward Sanborn Boulevard once the project is complete, water will be taken away quicker, and the area will be able to handle consistent rains. Johnson is hopeful the project will lower groundwater levels and help alleviate stress on household sump pumps, but stated that the impact will be unknown until the project is finished.
Johnson noted Public Works staff check on projects to see how new storm systems handle rain events.
“I enjoy every project during the construction, but I also look forward to it being done just to see how it improves the area, how it handles a storm event,” Johnson said.
Marshall Mitchell is a reporter with the Mitchell Republic covering local news and politics. He has over 15 years of experience working with leaders, authors, non-profits, and small businesses in publishing, marketing, and content creation. He moved to Mitchell in December 2024, and can’t wait to hear from you. Reach out to him at mmitchell@mitchellrepublic.com.