A Short History of the Stearns County League
Information provided by David Schneider of Meire Grove. For more in depth information of the Stearns County League, please contact David Schneider at dschneider53[at]gmail.com

Baseball has been an important pastime in Central Minnesota since the 1920′s. The Great Soo League was the area’s first organized league beginning in 1926 and lasted for fourty seasons. Some of the Stearns County League teams had their initial seasons as part of this well known league.

Most amateur teams had their beginnings in the 1930′s.

St. Martin was the first current member of the Stearns County League to have an organized team. playing its first seasons in 1929 as part of the Sauk Valley League.

New Munich had its debut season in 1930 as a member of the Great Soo League, and is the only current league team to field a team in 1931 & 1932.

Elrosa has its first team in 1933 as part of the Central Minnesota League.

In 1934 the first league to take the name Stearns County Leauge was formed; it included only two of its current members, St. Martin (which played only two seasons in the now defunct Sauk Valley League) and Richmond (which played its inaugural season). Other teams in the six team league included Cold Spring, Albany, Melrose, and St. Anthony. (Cold Spring and Albany already had other teams in the Great Soo League) This Stearns County League lasted through the 1936 season.

In 1937, New Munich and Richmond had teams in the Great Soo League and only Richmond fielded a team in 1938.

In 1939, another league known as the Stearns County League began and that inlcluded some more of its current members. First year teams included Lake Henry, Farming, and Roscoe. St. Martin which did not have a team in 1937 nor 1938 was part of the league, as was New munich , which had left the Great Soo League after the 1937 season. Elrosa left the Central Minnesota League to join, and Spring Hill had a team for one season as part of the league in 1939.

Lake Henry, New Munich, St. Martin, Farming, and Roscoe continued in the league in 1940 and 1941. None of theose teams fiedled a team in 1942, almost certainly due to the war.

In 1943 and 1944, Farming had resurrected its team and was now part of the Great Soo League where it staed until 1950. St. Martine started up again in 1945 as part of the Great Soo, then to the Central Minnesota League in 1946, and then to the Stearns County League in 1947.

Lake henry, Roscoe, and Elrosa all rejoined the Stearns County League in 1946. New Munich joined in ’47, but didn’t field a team in ’48, and eventually then rejoined again in 1949. Richmond meanwhile, had been part of the Great Soo League since 1937, but missed seasons from 1942 through 1945, and returning again in 1946.

As you can see from the information stated above, many of the current members of the Stearns County League had their roots prior to 1950. By 1950 the current members of the Stearns County League were all for the most part present.

In 1950 a new league was formed and it was called the Central Stearns League (for the first three seasons). The league was made up of Lake Henry, New Munich, St. Martin, Farming, Roscoe, Elrosa, Regal, and Green Grove, which was made up from the two communities, Greenwald and Meire Grove

Elrosa lasted only the first season and was replaced by Freeport. Regal left the league in 1953 and was replaced by Richmond. Then, in 1959 Freeport folded and Green Grove split into two separate teams. The league stayed the same from 1959 until 1983, when it expanded and added Elrosa and Spring Hill to form its current 10 team league.

It can be argued when the official Stearns County League began. In 1949, five of its members were already present. But in 1950, eight of the current communities were there, so for that reason we will begin the history of the Stearns County League in 1950.

Regardless of when the Stearns County League officially began, it is doubtful there has been a more stable league anywhere in the state.

The following are the all time records as composed by the St. Cloud Times and researched and documented by David Schneider of Meire Grove.

League Win/Loss Records beginning 1950 until 2008