Community Program - 3rd Grade

Click here for 3rd Grade Rules

3rd Grade Community Program: The In-House program is for boys & girls in the 3rd Grade. For the Community Leagues, players play with their current grade in school at time of registration (Spring of the current year).  The policy of the EPBA Board of Directors strictly prohibits players from playing up from the established rules.  

Travel programs for EPBA start in 3rd Grade - your player can either play in the community program OR the travel program, not both.

Volunteers:   To run a successful baseball program, we need volunteers to coach. We will provide a coaching clinic for all coaches, instructional videos on the EPBA website, and a source for coaches to ask questions when needed. Please indicate if you are interested in being a Head Coach or Assistant Coach on your player's registration.

• Registration Dates: January XXX - February XXX
• Registration Fees: $175
• School Grade: Currently in 3rd Grade
• Included in Registration Fees: Jersey & Hat
• Additional Equipment Needed: Glove, Tennis Shoes or Cleats, Baseball Pants Optional
• Optional Equipment: EPBA provides bats, baseballs and helmets. Feel free to use your own bat and/or helmet.

• Evaluations: Sunday, April XXX between 1:45-2:45pm at the EPHS Dome
• Community Coach Meeting: Virtual Meeting via Zoom on XXX at 8pm and In-person Training on XXX from XX-XXpm at the EPHS Dome
• Coaches Equipment & Jersey Pickup: TBD - 6:30pm - Miller Building
• EPBA Opening Day Event: TBD
• Season Start Date (estimated): April 27
• Picture Day: TBD
• Season End Date (estimated): regular season ends July 10; end of season tournament July 13-17

• Evaluations (to balance teams): Yes - Sunday, April XXX from XX-XXpm at the EPHS Dome
• # of Players per Team: 9 to 11 Players
• Friend Requests Allowed: One mutual friend request will be considered, but not guaranteed.
• Team Formation: Coach draft based on evaluation scores to balance teams.

• # of Events per Week: 2
• Potential Event Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Event Times: 5:30 or 6:45pm for practices (teams will play a mixture of these times); games at 6pm
• Event Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes for practices; 1 hour, 30 minutes for games (new for 2026)
• Event Locations: Eden Lake Elementary. We potentially will match up with Chanhassen 3rd Grade Community teams with games held at fields in EP or Chanhassen.
• Type of Hitting/Pitching: Player Pitch

Bat Regulations

• End of the Year Tournament: Yes
• Days of End of the Year Tournaments: Week of July 13

1. Learning the basic rules—force outs; tagging up; base running (when you don’t have to run; not running into or past teammates on the base paths); balls and strikes. 
2. Throwing mechanics—introduce the four-seam grip; point the front shoulder, step, and throw; introduce the concept of generating momentum toward the target and following the throw. 
3. Catching and fielding—thrown and hit balls; fingers up versus fingers down; see the glove and the ball; use two hands; forehands and backhands; introduce the underhand flip; first-base fundamentals; crossover and drop steps. 
4. Hitting—choosing the right bat; proper grip; hitting pitched balls. 
5. Learning positional play—learn the positions and the areas each player should cover; cover the base when the ball is not hit to you; basics of cutoffs and relays. 
6. Pitching - basic pitching form, movement towards the plate, correct form and accuracy over speed and correct grip.
7. Catching - proper catching stance and target, throwing the ball back to the pitcher effectively and basic blocking.

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 [email protected] for more information.