Travel

EPBA Travel baseball teams offer a competitive baseball environment with games against teams across the metro area, state, and even the region and up to the national level. EPBA fields travel teams for players ages 9-15U and ages 16-18U for Legion teams.

Travel team players are expected to be 100% committed to playing EPBA baseball during the entire travel baseball season. It is EPBA policy that a travel player not be rostered on or play for another club or tournament team (for any sport) during the course of the EPBA travel season. The season starts with the first practice. 

Each year, EPBA fields between two to four teams at age levels 9-15U (Grades 3-9). Within each age group there may be up to three divisions - AAA, AA, and A. The final number and divisions of travel teams will be determined by registration numbers, field availability, and tryouts.

2025 9U-11U

• Spring tryouts for 9U-11U players will be held on Sunday, March 9.
• Tryout Times:
• Sunday, March 9
• 9U: 8:00 - 9:30am
• 10U: 9:45 - 11:15am
• 11U: 11:30 - 1:00pm
• Specific team divisions will be decided following the evaluations, and rosters for 9U-11U are scheduled to be announced on the Tuesday following your evaluation - Tuesday, March 11.
• Typically, we make the same number of teams as the previous year with the same divisions (A/AA/AAA). There are many factors that determine the number of teams and divisions we form, including total number of players in an age group, a team's previous year record, evaluation scores, and guidance from our league, MBL. 
• All 9U-11U players need to bring TWO checks to tryouts - one check for travel fees of $385 and one check for $450 for a volunteer deposit. We will not check your player in for the tryout session if he/she does not have both checks.  Please include your player's name and age level in the memo of the check.

2025 12U - 14U TRAVEL TEAMS

• Tryouts for our 12U, 13U, and 14U Travel teams were held on September 14, 2024. Eligible players were invited to participate on a 2025 Travel team, but no divisions (A/AA/AAA) were created.
• Players will participate in Winter Workouts throughout the winter where they will have the opportunity to develop and improve skills. In addition, 2025 coaches will have the opportunity to observe players in a non-tryout setting before teams are formed in the spring.
• Spring tryouts for 13-14U players will be held on Sunday, March 2 and 12U will be held on Sunday, March 9. Players will have the opportunity to have their fall tryout scores revisited to reflect any changes over the winter.
• Tryout Times:
• Sunday, March 2
• 13U - 8:00-9:30am
• 14U - 9:45-11:15am
• Sunday, March 9
• 12U: 1:15 - 2:45pm
• Specific team divisions will be decided following the Spring evaluation update and rosters will be announced on Tuesday, March 11.
• Typically, we make the same number of teams as the previous year with the same divisions (A/AA/AAA). There are many factors that determine the number of teams and divisions we form, including total number of players in an age group, a team's previous year record, evaluation scores, and guidance from our league, MBL. 
• All 12U-14U players need to bring TWO checks to tryouts - one check for travel fees of $385 and one check for $450 for a volunteer deposit. We will not check your player in for the tryout session if he/she does not have both checks.  Please include your player's name and age level in the memo of the check.

2025 15U and Legion TRAVEL TEAMS

• Spring tryouts for 15U will be held on Sunday, March 2.
• Tryout Times:
• Sunday, March 2
• 15U - 11:30-1:00pm
• Specific team divisions will be decided following the evaluations, and rosters for 15U teams will be decided later in the Spring.
• Pending registrations and talent level, our intent is to form the following teams in 2025:
• Sr. Legion 1 & 2 (generally Jrs & Srs)
• Jr Legion 1 (generally sophomores)
• Jr. Legion 2 or 15AAA, 15AA and 14/15A (generally freshman)
• Teams will be formed based on talent level and Coach O'Brien believes there may be a need for some 15u players to be placed on the Sr. Legion/Junior legion teams.
• All 15U players need to bring only ONE check to tryouts - a check for $450 for a volunteer deposit. We will not check your player in for the tryout session if he/she does not have a check.  Please include your player's name and age level in the memo of the check. Your remaining travel fees will be due in the Spring once teams are formed.

TRYOUT PROCESS

Tryouts will consist of 5 areas of evaluation and will be graded by independent evaluators.

The stations for 2025 9U-15U include:

• Infield
• Outfield
• Hitting - Machine
• Hitting - Front Toss
• Pitching (this station’s scores are not factored in to the player’s overall evaluation score)

Tryout Attire:

• Players should wear baseball pants (or long pants), a baseball jersey if they have one (otherwise a t-shirt is fine), a baseball hat, and regular tennis shoes or turf shoes (no cleats).
• The dome is only a few degrees warmer than the outside so players may want to wear a sweatshirt or long sleeves, too.
• Players should bring their own glove, helmet, and bat. A very limited amount of equipment will be available to borrow if needed.

Players in Grades 3-9 should register with their current grade unless they will have a birthday prior to the cut off date – that is they must not reach the next age group before May 1, 2025. It is permissible for a player to play up from their designated age division to play with their grade, but they may not play down. For example, a 9 year old who is in 4th grade may play in the 10 year old division if he/she is doing so to play with their grade, but an 11 year old may not play in the 10 year old division under any circumstances. The parents have the choice, but it is the recommendation of the Board that kids play with their grade.

**Check out the age group calculator below to determine the correct level.

• 9U - 5/1/2015 through 4/30/2016 or completing 3rd grade
• 10U - 5/1/2014 through 4/30/2015 or completing 4th grade
• 11U - 5/1/2013 through 4/30/2014 or completing 5th grade
• 12U - 5/1/2012 through 4/30/2013 or completing 6th grade
• 13U - 5/1/2011 through 4/30/2012 or completing 7th grade
• 14U - 5/1/2010 through 4/30/2011 or completing 8th grade
• 15U - 5/1/2009 through 4/30/2010 or completing 9th grade.

• For the 2025 season, there will be 14 regular season league games. These games are normally scheduled for weeknights (Mon. - Thurs.) and can begin as early as April 15 for ages 9-14U and end of May for 15U (after the High School season has concluded). League play must be finished by June 30.
• Regular season games usually begin around 6:00 PM; some games may be scheduled as late as 8:00 PM.
• Players are expected to report 30 to 60 minutes before game time.
• About half of those will be in Eden Prairie and the other half will be at other associations' home fields. We won't know which other associations are in the same region until closer to the season start (probably March), but they're usually pretty close - Prior Lake, Minnetonka, Burnsville, etc.
• Coaches may schedule additional scrimmages and occasionally, regular league games may be scheduled for weekends.
• League games are used for the development of players. While everyone wants to win, our coaches are told not to prioritize winning over player development in league games. League games are where players learn, grow, and try new things! Expect to see relatively equal playing time and players trying out lots of positions. 

• Teams at ages 9-15U will participate in 3-4 weekend state-qualifying tournaments. EPBA teams play in 3 metro-area tournaments and 1 “travel” tournament.
• One of the metro-area tournaments will be our Eden Prairie-hosted tournament for 10U, 11U, 12U, and 15U teams.
• The travel tournaments are usually far enough away that it requires overnight stay.
• While the tournament fees are paid for by the association, families are responsible for the costs associated with travel.
• Coaches may decide to add additional tournaments with the agreement of team families. These additional tournaments will be at an additional cost to families.
• Tournaments are more competitive as they are the opportunity to qualify for the two State tournaments - Metro Baseball Tournaments and the Gopher State Tournament of Champions. Each tournament has a slightly different situation, but in general, teams earn bids to one or both State tournaments when they win first or second place in a tournament. Since teams are playing competitively, expect to see coaches be more strategic about how they use players. Playing time may not be equal and players are more likely to play in the positions where they’re most likely to help the team be successful. 
• Coaches may choose for their teams to participate in Metro Baseball League (our league) playoffs, which typically begin in early July, take a break during the middle of July for state championships, and then resume at the end of July for teams who make the league championships. 
• Depending upon a team's success in qualifying play, teams at ages 9-15U may earn a berth in 1-2 state tournaments to be played in mid July. Tournament dates will be posted below. Tournaments are never/very rarely scheduled for Memorial Day weekend or Fourth of July weekend, making those weekends safe bets for scheduling family trips.
• It is expected that all players will be available for all league games, tournaments, league playoffs, and state championship tournaments.
• See below for full tournament schedule for this upcoming season.

• There are typically 2-3 practices a week and 1-2 league games per week. In total, you should expect 3-4 weeknights of baseball each week. Some could be more and some could be fewer, but 3-4 is what we tell people to expect.
• Fridays are typically only used when there’s a weekend tournament, though there could be practices or league games scheduled on Fridays. 
• EPBA schedules indoor practices for each team at Nevers Larkin in Edina during the month of April. Schedules will be entered into the team's schedule once we have confirmed dates and times.

The EPBA playing time policy is for each player to receive approximately equal playing time over the course of the season for age groups 9-13U (Grades 3-8) and at least 50% playing time over the course of the season for age groups 14-15U (Grades 8-9). Equal playing time can be affected by player attendance, tournaments vs. league games, and division level.

The following fees are associated with participating on an EPBA Travel Team:

Other costs:

Additional Costs:

• Travel to and from tournaments, hotel costs, and any other costs associated with travel are the responsibility of families.
• Players should have their own equipment (players are required to purchase and maintain their own helmets), though some equipment is available for players to borrow if needed. See below for equipment regulations.

As a volunteer-run organization, EPBA depends on volunteers to sustain the association. EPBA's primary fundraisers are hosting two tournaments and operating concessions. There are additional volunteering opportunities in the concession stand at Miller Field for EPBA-hosted tournaments and league games alongside a paid employee. With increased concessions profits, our goal is to provide expanded off-season training at little costs to families. 

Volunteer Hours Requirement

• The required volunteer time is 8 hours per player for the Spring/Summer season.
• Please plan to volunteer during one (or both!) of the 2025 EPBA Tournaments hosted at Miller Park on May 9-11 (10-12 AA/AAA - our larger tournament) and May 30-June 1 (10-12A and 15AA/AAA). Mark your calendars! It is strongly encouraged that each family volunteer for at least one shift during the tournaments. The majority of the volunteer opportunities for these two tournaments will be posted in Crossbar in March.
• Volunteer hours will be tracked in your Crossbar account. If you have more than one Crossbar account, volunteer hours must be tracked in the same account used to register your player for the season. 
• Each family is required to provide a $450 per travel player as a volunteer hours deposit. The check will be destroyed once your family fulfills its volunteer requirement; otherwise it will be cashed at the end of the fall ball season in late October.

Volunteer Hours Deposit

• All 9U-15U players should bring a volunteer check to their Spring tryout on 3/2 (13U-15U) or 3/9 (9U-12U). We will not check your player in for the tryout session if they do not have a check.  Please include your player's name and age level in the memo of the check.
• If you prefer to make a $450 donation in lieu of volunteering your time, please note “Volunteer Hours Donation – [Player Name, Age Level]” in the memo line of your check or venmo @EPBaseballAssoc and note “Volunteer Hours Donation – [Player Name, Age Level].
• Players of Board Members do not need to bring a volunteer check as serving on the board fulfills the 8-hour volunteer requirement.
• As coaches have not been set at the time of tryouts, all other families should bring a check. If you are assigned as a Head Coach, we will destroy your check.

Most EPBA Travel Coaches are parent volunteers who are donating their time and energy to coaching Travel Baseball. All coaches are interviewed and selected by the VP of Baseball and Coach Management Director. Coaches are selected for their combination of baseball knowledge and ability to use baseball as a vehicle to teach life skills and lessons to our community’s youth. 

The selection process begins in the fall of the previous year and coaches are identified by age-level, but not division (A/AA/AAA). The final placement of coaches does not happen until tryouts have concluded. Should two coaches' players make the same level, the committee will place the players in the spot that they earned, not where there is a coaching need. Coaches can/will be added after the try-out process to fill any open roles at the discretion of the Travel Directors.

Interested in being a travel coach for the 2025 Season? Learn more and apply here.

If you want EVEN MORE INFO, check out this video for Travel parents (from 2024). Run time is 1:07 :00 at 1x speed.

Because the EPBA believes that no young baseball player should ever be denied the opportunity to participate in America’s favorite pastime because of temporary family economic problems we provide financial assistance to families in need.

Should you need financial assistance in order to participate in the league, please [email protected] for more information.