The Mitchell Kernels were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census making it the List of cities in South Dakota, sixth most populous city in South Dako ...

. The Kernels played as members of the

South Dakota League The South Dakota League was a Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league that played from 1920 to 1923. The South Dakota League changed its name to the shortened Dakota League for the 1921 and 1922 seasons. The South Dakota Le ...

(1920), Dakota League (1921–1922), South Dakota League (1923),

Nebraska State League The Nebraska State League (NSL) was an American professional minor league baseball league with five incarnations between 1892 and 1959. The Nebraska State League formed five times: in 1892, from 1910 to 1915, from 1922 to 1923, from 1928 to 1938 a ...

(1936–1937) and Western League (1939–1940), winning four league championships. The Mitchell Kernels were a minor league affiliate of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

in 1936 and 1937.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

member

Jim Bottomley James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was an American professional baseball first baseman, Scout (sport), scout and Manager (baseball), manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1922 to 19 ...

played for the 1920 Mitchell Kernels. The Mitchell Kernels continued play as a member of the collegiate minor league Basin League from 1953 to 1960. The "Kernels" moniker was adopted by Mitchell High School sports teams in the 1930s.

History

The Mitchell Kernels first played as members of the Class D level 1920 South Dakota League, winning the first of their three consecutive championships. The Mitchell Kernels then played in the Dakota League (1921–1922), South Dakota League (1923),

(1936–1937) and Western League (1939–1940). The Kernels were an affiliate of the

in 1936 and 1937. The Mitchell Kernels won league championships in 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1936. The Mitchell use of the "Kernels" moniker corresponds to Mitchell, South Dakota being home to the famed

Corn Palace The Corn Palace, commonly advertised as The World's Only Corn Palace and the Mitchell Corn Palace, is a multi-purpose arena/facility located in Mitchell, South Dakota, United States. The Moorish Revival building is decorated with crop art; the m ...

, which was built in 1892. The Mitchell Kernels resumed play in 1953 as charter members of the Basin League (1953–1973), an independent collegiate minor league. In its duration the Basin League evolved from rosters containing some professional players to rosters being totally amateur, becoming a pioneer in what is known today as

Collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

. Mitchell played in the Basin League from 1953–1960. Mitchell was a charter member of the 1953 Basin league along with Chamberlain,

Huron Huron may refer to: Native American ethnography * Huron people, who have been called Wyandotte, Wyandot, Wendat and Quendat * Huron language, an Iroquoian language * Huron-Wendat Nation, or Huron-Wendat First Nation, or Nation Huronne-Wendat * N ...

, Mitchell,

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, Watertown,

Winner Winner(s) or The Winner(s) may refer to: * Champion, the victor in a game or contest *The successful social class in winner and loser culture Film * ''The Winner'' (1926 film), an American silent film starring Billy Sullivan * ''The Winner'' ...

and Yankton, as well as

Valentine, Nebraska Valentine is a city in and the county seat of Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,737 at the 2010 census. It is the hometown of former vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz. History Valentine was founded in 1882. The ...

. Mitchell did not win a championship while playing in the Basin League. Future major league players Frank Carpin, Doug Clemens,

Doc Daugherty Harold Ray "Doc" Daugherty (October 12, 1927 – August 15, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and manager, and high school football head coach. A shortstop in minor league baseball, he made one appearance as a pinch hitter I ...

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, '' The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress E ...

Dick Green Richard Larry Green (born April 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from through , playing for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. Green played on the " Swingi ...

Dave Giusti David John Giusti, Jr. (born November 27, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1962 to 1977, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won ...

Dean Look Dean Zachary Look (born July 23, 1937) is an American former football and baseball player. He played college football as quarterback at Michigan State University and professional football for the New York Titans of the American Football League ...

, Jim O'Toole and

Don Schwall Donald Bernard Schwall (born March 2, 1936) is an American former professional baseball pitcher player who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by the Boston Red Sox, he spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Pir ...

played for the Mitchell Kernels' Basin League teams. Today, the Kernels moniker has been the long-time moniker of Mitchell High School, who first adopted the nickname in the 1930s.

Championship seasons

In their first season of minor league play, as charter members of the Class D level

, the Mitchell Kernels won the league championship. They would win three consecutive championships. Mitchell ended the 1920 season with a record of 61–36, 1st in the league standings under Manager Henry Scharnweber. The league had no playoffs for its duration. In the eight–team league, Mitchell finished 3.0 games ahead of the Sioux Falls Soos (58–40), followed by the Huron Packers (56–40), Wessington Springs Saints (49–48), Redfield Reds/Red Sox (46–49), Madison Grays (42–50), Aberdeen Boosters (42–54) and Miller Climbers/Jugglers (28–65). In his first professional season,

member

played for Mitchell in 1920, hitting .312 with 7 home runs in 97 games. In 1921, the league changed names to the Dakota League and Mitchell defended their title. Continuing play under Manager Henry Scharnweber, the Kernels finished in 1st place with a 65–33 record, 3.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Sioux Falls Soos (61–35). They were followed in the standings by the Wahpeton-Breckenridge Twins (55–43), Redfield Red Sox (47–46), Madison (45–50),

Watertown Cubs The Watertown Cubs were a minor league baseball team based in Watertown, South Dakota. The unaffiliated Cubs played as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Dakota League in 1921 and 1922 and South Dakota League in 1923. Watertown host ...

(44–53),

Aberdeen Grays Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but is now separate from the council area of Aberdeenshire. Aberd ...

(35–62) and Huron Packers (34–64). The Kernels won their third consecutive championship, becoming the 1922 Dakota League Champions. Mitchell finished 60–37, again managed by Henry Scharnweber. Mitchell finished 4.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Aberdeen Grays (56–42) and Fargo Athletics (56–42), followed by the Sioux Falls Soos (55–42), Jamestown Jimkotans (46–51), Watertown Cubs (42–54), Wahpeton-Breckenridge Twins (42–55) and the Valley City Hi-Liners/ Bismarck Capitals (30–64). In 1923, Mitchell was unable to defend their tiles as the South Dakota league folded during the season on July 13, 1923 with Mitchell in 3rd place. In 1936, the Mitchell Kernels the won league championship as the franchise resumed play in the Class D level

. Playing as an affiliate of the

, the Kernels ended the six–team Nebraska State League regular season with a record of 68–50, placing 2nd in the standings, 2.0 games behind the

Sioux Falls Canaries The Sioux Falls Canaries are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The Canaries are members of the North Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major ...

. Cliff Knox was the Mitchell manager. In the Playoffs, the Mitchell Kernels beat the Norfolk Elks 3 games to 1. In the Finals, the Mitchell Kernels defeated the Sioux Falls Canaries 4 games to 2.

The ballparks

From 1920 to 1923, Mitchell teams were noted to have played minor league home games at Hitchcock Park. The ballpark was located on East Hanson Street between South Gamble Street & South Foster Street in Mitchell South Dakota. Today, Hitchcock Park is still in use as a public park area with a baseball field. The address is 1201 E Hanson Avenue, Mitchell, South Dakota. Beginning in 1936 minor league Kernels reportedly played home games at Kernel Park. Kernel Park stood on a site directly adjacent to "Joe Quintal Field", which was built in 1941. Joe Quintal Field is still in use as home to Mitchell High School and

Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of t ...

sports teams. Joe Quintal Field is located at 501 East 11th Avenue, Mitchell, South Dakota.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
alumni

(1920) Inducted, 1974

Notable alumni

* Frank Carpin (1956) * Doug Clemens (1959) *

(1954) *

(1957) MLB All-Star * Red Fisher (1920) *

(1959) MLB All-Star *

(1959) MLB All-Star * Lou Kahn (1936) *

Cliff Knox Clifford Hiram Knox (January 7, 1902 – September 24, 1965) was a professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Bud", he was a catcher for one season (1924) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. For his career, he compiled a .222 batting average in 18 at-ba ...

(MGR, 1936-1937) * Doyle Lade (1939) *

Louis Leroy Louis Leroy (; 1812 - 1885) was a French 19th-century printmaker, painter, and playwright. Biography He is remembered as the journalist and art critic for the French satirical newspaper '' Le Charivari'', who coined the term "impressionists" ...

(1920) * Jimmie Long (1920) *

(1959) NFL Official *

Dave Odom George David Odom (born October 9, 1942) is an American retired men's college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of the East Carolina Pirates, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and South Carolina Gamecocks. Playing career Odom began h ...

(1936) * Jim O'Toole (1957) MLB All-Star;

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is an entity established by Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise that pays homage to the team's past through displays, photographs and multimedia. It was instituted in 1958 to recognize th ...

* Del Paddock (1920) *

(1957) MLB All-Star; 1961 AL Rookie of the Year *

Biggs Wehde Wilbur "Biggs" Wehde (November 23, 1906 – September 21, 1970) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in and with the Chicago White Sox. He batted and threw right-handed. Biography Wehde was born November 23, 1906, and gre ...

(1940) * Jimmy Zinn (MGR, 1940)

References

External links

Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mithcell Kernels Mitchell, South Dakota Defunct baseball teams in South Dakota Baseball teams established in 1920 1920 establishments in South Dakota St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in South Dakota Baseball teams disestablished in 1940 Defunct Western League teams South Dakota League teams Dakota League teams

History

Championship seasons

The ballparks

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ... alumni

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
alumni