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 9-14U and ages 15-18U for Legion teams.

Travel team players must be 100% committed to playing EPBA baseball for the entire season, beginning with the first game or May 1 - whichever comes first. It is EPBA policy that a travel player not be rostered on or play for another club or tournament baseball team during the course of the EPBA travel season.

Each year, EPBA fields between two to four teams at age levels 9-14U (Grades 3-8). 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.

EPBA Winter Development Program (10U-14U)

To further support player growth, EPBA is launching an expanded winter development program for players ages 10U-14U.

Program Highlights

• Professional instruction for hitting, pitching, and fielding
• Dedicated lead instructor assigned to each training group
• Team coaches invited to participate alongside instructors
• Structured practice plans with clear developmental goals
• Arm-strengthening and injury-prevention programming
• Batting development focused on improving exit velocity
• HitTrax technology integrated into training sessions
• Pitching and hitting drills designed to improve mechanics
• Competitive games and activities to increase engagement
• Progress tracking and skill assessments throughout the offseason
• Focus on player safety, development, and measurable improvement

Start Date: November 30

End Date: April 1

Training Days: Monday through Thursday

Session Times:

• 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
• 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
• 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Training groups and schedules will be communicated following registration.

The winter development is one hour per week out of the sessions we have available. An online reservation system will be implemented to help you keep track.

FALL 2026 EVALUATIONS (for the 2027 season)

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026

Location: Miller Park

Age - Level - Field

• 9U - 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM - Miller Pinwheel
• 10U - 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM - Miller Pinwheel
• 11U - 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM - Miller Pinwheel
• 12U - 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM - Miller Pinwheel
• 13U - 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM - Miller Field 8
• 14U - 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM - Miller Field 8

EVALUATION PROCESS

EPBA's evaluation model is designed to maximize player development while creating a fair and objective team selection process.

Objectives

• Increase player development opportunities
• Reduce the impact of a single evaluation date
• Support multi-sport athletes
• Create objective and transparent team formation
• Improve coaching consistency throughout the association
• Focus on player development throughout the offseason

Evaluation Weighting

Player evaluations will be weighted as follows:

• Fall Evaluation: 40%
• Spring Evaluation: 60%

This approach allows players to demonstrate growth and improvement throughout the offseason.

Eligible Participants

All players ages 9U-14U interested in participating in travel baseball.

The Fall and Spring Evaluations will measure the following areas:

Players will also have the opportunity to improve their standing during Spring Evaluations. Spring Evaluation times will be announced in early February.

Evaluators

Evaluations will be conducted by independent evaluators, including:

• Eden Prairie Legion Coaches
• Eden Prairie High School Coaches
• Former EP Baseball coaches and players
• Professional instructors from private training facilities

Parent volunteers assist with evaluation logistics but are not evaluators.

2026 15U and Jr./Sr. Legion TRAVEL TEAMS

• Please go to the 15U/Jr. Legion/Sr. Legion page HERE.

Evaluation Attire & Equipment

Players should arrive prepared with:

• Baseball pants
• Baseball hat
• Cleats
• Glove
• Bat
• Batting helmet

A limited amount of equipment will be available if needed.

Additional Notes

EPBA is committed to providing every player with a fair, positive, and development-focused experience.

We appreciate the support of our parents and ask everyone to help maintain a positive environment throughout the evaluation process.

Details will be distributed in early February for plans regarding uniform try-on options.

Players in Grades 3-8 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, 2026. 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.

2026 Fall Ball and 2027 Spring Age Levels

• 9U - 5/1/2017 through 4/30/2018 or completing 3rd grade
• 10U - 5/1/2016 through 4/30/2017 or completing 4th grade
• 11U - 5/1/2015 through 4/30/2016 or completing 5th grade
• 12U - 5/1/2014 through 4/30/2015 or completing 6th grade
• 13U - 5/1/2013 through 4/30/2014 or completing 7th grade
• 14U - 5/1/2012 through 4/30/2013 or completing 8th grade
• 15U - 5/1/2011 through 4/30/2012 or completing 9th grade.

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

Registration Fees

Registration fees include a tryout fee, base fees, and winter workouts (10U-14U only). Rates exclude online processing fees.

• $215 - 9U
• $475 - 10U-11U
• $490 - 12U-14U

Travel Fee - Required for 9U-14U players placed on a Travel Team

$385 - Check collected at Spring tryouts

This covers Tournament fees, umpires, uniforms, additional equipment, etc.

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 all 3!) of the 2026 EPBA Tournaments hosted at Miller Park on May 8-10 (10AA/AAA-12 AA/AAA ), May 29-31 (9AA/AAA, 10A-12A,) and June 5-7 ** Hosted at Flying Cloud/Grill West (13A). 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.
• All volunteers must be adults (18 years or older). 

Volunteer Hours Deposit

• All 9U-14U players should bring a volunteer check to their Spring tryout on XXX (13U-14U) or XXX (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. Again, coaches are NOT in place prior to team formation.

We do ask coaches to help book tournaments over the winter, as a favor to our board, for certain levels of each age group. Please note that this does NOT indicate that he/she will be the coach of that team/level. We simply need his/her help, knowledge and experience to book these tournaments.

Interested in being a travel coach for the upcoming season? Application process will start in a couple months - join our mailing list to be notified when applications are open.

Coming soon.

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 treasurer@epbaseball.com for more information.

Page last updated: December 30th, 2025