The Topeka Golden Giants are leaving the MINK League.

Brett Cowdin, president of the college summer team that is a North Division stable mate of the St. Joseph Mustangs, made the announcement Monday in a statement to other members of the league.

“After much thought and discussion, we have decided for the long-term growth of our team that this is the right time to move on,” Cowdin wrote.

Cowdin said the resignation of his team’s membership is scheduled for Sunday, effective at the annual fall league meeting in St. Joseph. The Golden Giants intend to play an independent schedule in 2010, hoping to fill 25 home dates.

Mustangs owner Dan Gerson said the remaining league members don’t have to vote on the resignation, but if a vote was possible, he wouldn’t support it.

“I hate to see anybody drop out of the league,” Gerson said. “The MINK League has a chance to be one of the premier college leagues in the country. I think the league can’t make it easy for people to become independent.”

Topeka’s move drops the MINK League’s membership from 10 to eight teams, as Beatrice Bruins president/manager Bob Steinkamp this summer announced his retirement after three decades of running that operation, and the franchise has likely folded.

MINK League secretary Jim Hamlin said there has been some interest from several prospective league members. He said there has been some contact from a team in Des Moines, Iowa, and some talk about possible franchises from Lawrence, Kan., and Excelsior Springs, Mo., but no formal applications.

Still, Hamlin isn’t ruling out any of those possibilities.

“Normally we’ve got a pretty good idea of who’s going to apply, but it can be a pretty informal situation,” Hamlin said. “If there’s somebody there we don’t know, we assume they want to play. I say that jokingly, but that’s almost the case.”

The league alignment will be one of several items on the MINK League meeting agenda. The entire league leadership is likely to change. Steinkamp, the league president, has retired, and league commissioner Linden Black, formerly of St. Joseph, has announced his resignation because he has moved to Tyler, Texas.

In addition, Hamlin announced to league members this week that he also will resign his post.