Jacob Mulder, who brought baseball back to Brandon, dies in crash

Tom Savage

For the Brandon Valley Challenger

Jacob Mulder (left) with brothers Josh Mulder and Jared Mulder prior to the 2018 Brandon Valley Rats amateur baseball season.

Brandon resident Jacob Mulder was killed in a two-car automobile accident near Luverne, Minn., on Thursday morning.

Mulder, 26, and Matthew A. Crawford, 44, of Slayton, Minn., collided head on in pickup trucks shortly before 6 a.m. on Minnesota Highway 23 in Springfield Township, the Minnesota State Patrol said. Both men were killed.

Mulder was instrumental in bringing amateur baseball back to Brandon. After the Brandon Merchants left for Sioux Falls to become the Sioux Falls Brewers in 2012, Mulder, a recent Brandon Valley High School graduate and just 19 at the time, was able to talk his older brother, Josh, into managing the team. The two collaborated and formed the Brandon Valley Rats, who've been playing Class A amateur ball ever since.

“I asked him to help coach, organize it and help find people to fund the team,” Mulder said in a 2018 interview. “I was still in college and didn’t have a whole lot of time to get everything going. He got all of that done, and I contacted a lot of the players. There were a lot of kids in my grade who said they’d be interested in playing.”'

Jacob played catcher for the Rats, and his twin brother, Jared, plays infield. Josh continues to serve as the team's manager this season.

Jacob Mulder played DH in his final game with the Brandon Valley Rats in Renner on Sunday, June 13, 2021.

Jacob Mulder would have celebrated his 27th birthday on June 29. He and his wife, Morgan Mulder, were married in July of 2020 and are expecting their first child in November.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at Risen Savior Parish in Brandon. Family Present Visitation will be on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, Sioux Falls from 4 - 7 p.m. with a Liturgical Wake Service beginning at 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the GoFundMe set up to honor Jacob’s legacy.https://gofund.me/6c0212d4.