RAPID CITY - For many baseball players in Rapid City it is just the natural progression. After getting started in Little League as a youngster, moving up through the ranks into high school and onto one of the American Legion teams, it is off to college for a little more ball. For a select few, a crack at the minor leagues or, if they are extremely fortunate, a call up to Major League Baseball may follow.

However, for many, after their days with Post 22 or Post 320 their competitive baseball days may be over, but in Rapid City that is not the case.

For years, stretching back further than even the longest tenured members can remember, the Black Hills Amateur Baseball League - for players 18 and older - has provided baseball players the chance to do what they love most at a high level.

"This is a huge baseball town," league president Daryl Deneke said. "It starts with the Little League program, and you see how strong the Legion teams are and they are stepping stones. The Black Hills Amateur League allows them to keep competing at a high level."

For some players amateur league baseball is simply a family tradition.

"I come from a long line of amateur league players," said Rod Merriam. "My grandfather played in the first amateur state tournament in 1933. I am a third generation player."

Players come from all over but a majority are produced by strong Legion programs.

"A lot of the players are out of Post 22 and 320 so they know the game and they know how to play it," said league vice president John Sayles.

The league has also seen its share of professional players come and go over the years which just adds to the credibility of the play.

During most weekdays and on a couple weekends, four teams made up of 18 players take turns playing games at McKeague Field.

Make no mistake, this is not a league for those looking for an easy, friendly game. Players enjoy themselves, but when they step between the lines it is all business. The cost to teams for a season is $2,700 which includes players' fees, insurance, league fees, field upkeep, lighting and money to pay umpires among other costs. Most teams have a sponsor which helps defray some of the cost.

The teams have their own uniforms with all games nine innings long and wood bats are the tool of choice used by batters. The games are governed by state amateur baseball rules.

"It is a gentlemanly endeavor in and of itself and it is kind of like a private club," said Merriam, who has played in the Black Hills Amateur League since 1990. "We all make sacrifices to participate and we all respect each other for doing it. There is a camaraderie among everyone who participates."

For Sayles, the chance to play gives him the opportunity to continually test himself against good, young players.

"It is fun to play against younger guys with a lot of speed, who can throw the ball and they can handle the bat," he said. "It is very competitive and everyone wants to win, but we are able to get along too."

The league has had as many as seven teams in a given season with participation fluctuating from year to year, but neither Deneke nor Sayles see it as a big problem. Deneke began playing amateur baseball when he was 17 growing up in Huron and Sayles joined the BHAL in 1994. While the younger players bring a lot of excitement to the game, it is the veterans who keep the league going.

"There was some concern that there wouldn't be enough teams, but there are a lot of guys who are still involved to make sure it is still a viable league," Sayles said. "Some of the younger guys come back and play while they are in school, and then leave to follow their career. But other people come back and are looking to play which keeps it going."

Merriam believes the next generation of players will have to take over sooner rather than later.

The teams play a 21-game season looking to get the best possible seed in the city playoffs - which is played in early August - with the top two team's gaining entry into the state tournament. The first weekend of the two-weekend state tournament for Class A teams is in Rapid City followed with a champion being crowned the following week in Mitchell.

"My goal, like I think everyone who plays, is to make it to the state tournament," Sayles said.

The last championship team from Rapid City came in 1994, but the teams are always competitive with the East River squads.

The rainy weather has backed up several games but you won't hear any complaints from Deneke. Even at 47 he has no plans to slow down and stop playing the game he has enjoyed since he was 5.

"I am a pitcher and I (am a designated hitter) but I will get into the field if I have to," he said.

He just wants to be able to play the game he loves.