In 1931, as economic depression spread across South Dakota and the nation, drought ravaged crops and unemployment was widespread. To raise morale and give amateur baseball players an opportunity to compete, two young Garden City businessmen organized the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association. Howard Lyke served as the first president, and F.N. ‘Denny’ Cosgrove became the first secretary-treasurer. Teams and leagues were organized throughout the state, and the first statewide tournament was held in 1933 at Watertown. Winning teams played in national competition through the years, and in 1950 Watertown’s Park Grant team won the National Amateur Baseball Congress tournament at Battle Creek, Michigan. The association’s directors also host a group of handicapped young people on an annual goodwill trip to attend a Minnesota Twins baseball game.