From center field to center stage in Milroy

The Milroy Yankees are celebrating their 75th year in a big — and unexpected way — this summer by hosting part of the Class C Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament. Photo / Per Peterson

All of a sudden,  Yankees gear up to host State Amateur Baseball Tournament

By Per Peterson

Little did Pat Dolan and company know that when they began work on upgrades to the Yankees’ baseball field in Milroy this spring, they would be part of hosting the biggest event of the amateur baseball season.

It was announced Monday that Milroy, home of the Yankees, will be co-host to the Class C Minnesota Amateur State Baseball Tournament, which begins Aug. 21 and runs each weekend after through Labor Day.

“The timing — we just happen to be very lucky,” said Milroy Baseball Association (MBA) Director Pat Dolan. “We always talk about how we are ever gonna get a state tournament here, you know, and it’s so difficult to do. You look at all these other beautiful places the players go to play at, and all of a sudden … it’s a dream come true.”

New Ulm and Springfield were the original host sites for this year’s multi-week, Class C tournament (Class B teams will play in Shakopee). However, because of an increase of COVID-19 cases in New Ulm and in Brown County, the New Ulm City Council in a July 24 special meeting voted unanimously to not allow the City to host its part of the tournament.

That left Plan B and Milroy, which with a population of about 240 people might be the smallest town ever to be part of hosting a state tournament.

See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.