A pair of youth baseball leagues are battling for the right to use fields in Magnolia in the spring and it doesn’t appear that there’s room for both.

Magnolia Baseball Association (MBA) and the Magnolia Little League Baseball Association (MLLBA) both are in the process of establishing leagues for the 2011 spring season and have requested use of the Magnolia baseball fields on FM 1774.

The decision on which league, or both, lies with Pct. 2 County Commissioner Craig Doyal and the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court.

Doyal granted use of the fields for the fall season to the Magnolia Baseball Association after that league was established in July, putting a temporary halt to Little League in Magnolia.

For the past 37 years, youth baseball in Magnolia has been under the Little League umbrella. However, citing a desire to play more “select” tournaments, the MLLBA board voted to disband and re-establish as the MBA under the Nations Baseball organization.

In doing so, the newly-established MBA board voted to distribute the remaining MLLBA funds and equipment to the MBA.

The maneuver was quickly decried by MLLBA representatives, who have called into question the use of the league funds and equipment.

Ben Hunt, District Administrator for Little League Texas District 28, which oversees the MLLBA, called the vote to re-administer funds and equipment “illegal,” explaining that the money and equipment belonged to the Little League Association.

He cited a section of the MLLBA by-laws that deals with finances and, specifically, “distribution of property upon dissolution.”

“The members shall direct remaining property of MLLBA to another non-profit youth entity which maintains the same objectives as set forth herein…,” the mandate states.

However, Erin Wilson, president of the MBA board, says no rules were broken in the vote and subsequent allocation.

“We had a member vote, according to our by-laws, the Little League by-laws, to figure out what to do with it (the remaining funds),” she said. “We held a public vote, the members voted that the funds remaining were to be given to the Magnolia Baseball Association.”

Wilson described the funds as “minimal,” after the MBA paid about $900 back to MLLBA for unpaid bills for items such as electricity usage and All-Star tournaments.

“We did not use any Little League funds to start Magnolia Baseball,” she added.

Wilson previously told the Tribune that among the reasons for the change to MBA was to “bring back” several of the players who had left Little League in order to join “select” teams.

Once the MBA board was established, the MLLBA board was put on hold.

Hunt said that despite the vote of the board to dissolve the MLLBA, the entity still existed.

In a letter sent to MBA board members, Daniel Velte, director of League Development and Affiliation of Little League International, Velte said “You cannot simply state that ‘Magnolia Little Leagues have become Magnolia Baseball Association’ and it is so.”

Earlier in the fall, a new MLLBA board was established, with Chad Kelly voted as board president.

“I’ve been out there as long as any of the board members and I just want to coach my kids and do what’s best for them,” he said.

What’s best for the kids, he believes, is Little League. He says the model for Nations and the MBA in which dividing players beginning at age 6 to metro league (or non-tournament teams) and select teams, isn’t ideal.

“There are just not enough people,” he said, “dividing them into kids who have already developed and who haven’t developed yet. You shouldn’t have to do that at 6 years old.”

Both leagues are hoping to hold registration for the spring season beginning next month, but much of that will depend on who is allowed to use the fields.

Hunt explained it’s possible for both leagues to use the fields, with the MLLBA playing its games Monday through Thursday and the MBA playing tournaments on Saturday and Sunday.

“There’s not a reason you can’t do both,” he said.

That scenario doesn’t appear likely, however.

Representatives from both the MBA and MLLBA have met with Doyal, hoping he will grant their respective leagues use of the fields in the spring.

However, Doyal told the Tribune only one will likely win out.

“There’s only going to be one organization,” he said, “it’s the only way it could work. They tried that with Pony and Little League and it was very difficult.”

“I’m only going to deal with one board, and currently there is a board in place,” Doyal said.

A decision could come from Doyal and the Commissioner’s Court by the end of the month.

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