In 2010, Target Field became the new home of the Minnesota Twins. Thirteen years later and 225 miles away, kids in Webster, SD, have their own version.
The Laurel Prieb Casual Play Field was dedicated in summer 2023, the brainchild of Webster Complex Coordinator Chad Hesla. After determining they’d need $70,000 for the project, they started fundraising. And the Minnesota Twins became a main contributor, providing $17,000 for the project designed to serve as a miniature Target Field where wiffle ball and t-ball could be played. The Sioux Falls Canaries and Kansas City Royals also helped fund the project.
And the reaction? Pure joy from adults and kids alike, especially the 51 children playing t-ball in Webster that year.
“It was really cool to see the kids out there,” said Hesla. “They wanted to be playing on it all night long.”
The field features Twins-used bases and a customized sign that Webster-izes the traditional Twins sign featuring baseball players “Minnie” (representing Minneapolis) and “Paul” (representing St. Paul) shaking hands over the Mississippi River. At the Laurel Prieb Field, Minnie & Paul sport Webster jerseys, with the Missouri River replacing the Mississippi.
The field is named for Laurel Prieb, a Webster native who spent his career working for several Major League Baseball teams. Prieb had no idea the field would have his name until he saw the sign – and was presented his own Twins jersey by Dave St. Peter, president and CEO of Minnesota Twins baseball. In-person and video messages then celebrated Prieb, including one from former Major League Baseball commissioner (and Prieb's father-in-law) Bud Selig.
“I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s more proud of his hometown than Laurel,” said Steve Ethier, Vice President of Stadium Operations for the Milwaukee Brewers. “I know there’ll be generations of young people playing on this field well into the future.”
The new field is part of Webster’s Veteran’s Memorial Complex, a collection of baseball fields that would be impressive in a big city, making it especially great in this northeast South Dakota city of 1,700.
“This is not a nice ballpark,” said Mayor Mike Grosek during the dedication. “It’s a super baseball complex.”
For more information on the field’s history and use, visitors can contact Chad Hesla at [email protected] or 605-881-0007.
And it won’t take much exploration to see that baseball past and present are celebrated in northeast South Dakota. One hour southeast of Webster is Lake Norden, a small town home to the carefully curated SD Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. For more on the best ways to enjoy and celebrate America’s Pastime, click here.
