MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) In a letter, the South Dakota American Legion has outlined what Mitchell Legion baseball must do to be reinstated. SD American Legion says MBA’s coach must go and its board be dissolved before allowing Mitchell baseball back on field. Two-page letter specifies five-step requirements for reinstatement. According to The Republic, the local board and Coach Luke Norden’s attorney want a want face-to-face meeting with state decision makers. The requirements come in the aftermath of last year’s criminal proceedings from rape charges involving six Mitchell Legion players, the team’s head coach and former a board member. In an email Wednesday, MBA Board President Nathan Sparks provided the Mitchell Republic with the following statement: “After repeated recent attempts to coordinate a face-to-face meeting with the South Dakota American Legion leadership team to include the Commander, Adjutant and Athletic Committee, MBA has not been afforded the opportunity to present the procedures we followed and changes made after learning of this event in June 2023.” The six players agreed to plea deals and were convicted of accessory to a felony, while Norden was found not guilty of failure to report child abuse and former board president Jeremy Borgan was acquitted of the same charge. The charges stemmed from a 2023 incident in a Rapid City hotel room. The Mitchell Legion baseball team’s season was canceled by the South Dakota American Legion in 2024, and another season will be forfeited unless specific conditions are met.