Travel Program
About the 2027 Travel Program
The RYBA Travel Baseball Program provides players with the opportunity to compete against teams throughout Southeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities Metro area in the Metro Baseball League (MBL), while participating in competitive tournaments throughout the season.
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Program Details
- All teams will practice twice per week (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday). Some teams may also have an additional third practice night depending on team and coach needs.
- Teams will play 12–14 Metro Baseball League (MBL) games, with approximately half of the games played in Rochester and half on the road.
- League opponents will include teams from Southeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities Metro area.
- Each team will participate in four (4) regular season tournaments, including one home tournament hosted in Rochester. 9U A teams will participate in three (3) regular season tournaments.
- Teams that qualify will have one (1) State Tournament included in their registration fees.
- If a team qualifies for an additional State Tournament, those tournament fees will be the responsibility of each player's family.
Registration & Fees
The 2027 Travel Baseball registration fee is $315, which includes the $55 tryout fee and the $260 base registration fee. The $315 registration fee is non-refundable once a player has participated in tryouts. Players selected and placed on a travel team will be assessed an additional travel fee based on their team level.
Travel Fees by Age and Level
Travel Tryout Information
All players interested in playing on a Rochester Youth Baseball Association (RYBA) travel team must participate in the annual travel tryouts. Tryouts are used to evaluate each player's skill level and place them on the team that best matches their ability within their age division.
Selection for a travel team is not guaranteed. Players must demonstrate the skills and ability necessary to compete at the travel level. Players who are not selected for a travel team may be placed in the Southern Minny league, where they can continue to develop their skills in a competitive environment.
Important Registration Information: The $55 tryout fee and $260 base registration fee are non-refundable, regardless of whether a player is selected for a travel team, withdraws from the program, or is unable to participate after registering.
Tryout Expectations
Players will be evaluated in the following areas:
- Hitting
- Fielding
- Throwing
- Pitching
- Running
- Overall baseball skills and athletic ability
Our goal is to place every player in the best environment for their development while creating competitive teams at each level.
Bubble Tryouts (Invitation Only)
Following the initial tryouts, selected players may be invited to attend a second evaluation ("Bubble Tryout"). Bubble tryouts are by invitation only and are used when additional evaluations are needed before final team selections are made. Not every player will be invited to a bubble tryout.
Players selected for a bubble tryout will be contacted directly with the date, time, and location.
Attendance
Players should arrive 15–20 minutes prior to their scheduled check-in time to allow enough time for registration and warm-ups.
If your player is unable to attend tryouts due to illness or an unavoidable conflict, please notify RYBA as soon as possible. There are no make-up tryout dates.
Parent Information
To help provide the best evaluation environment for all players, parents and spectators will not be allowed at the tryout facility during evaluations.
Performance evaluations for the tryout areas noted above are analyzed and documented by paid evaluators. None of these evaluators are coaches in the RYBA program or board members. Families may witness board members and coaches on site during tryouts, and also situated at the different tryout stations, but their sole purpose in these roles is to document the objective information from tryouts (example: recording the miles per hour on a pitched baseball, while the paid evaluators focus on the subjective evaluation like mechanics). Every effort will be made to avoid having a coach present at a station during the tryout of the age group they have coached so there is no conflict of interest, but sometimes availability makes this unavoidable. Data related to tryouts is available after team formation is complete.
What to Bring to Tryouts
Players should bring:
- Baseball glove
- Bat
- Batting helmet
- Water bottle
- Athletic clothing appropriate for the weather and facility
- Athletic shoes or footwear as specified in the tryout information
Specific footwear requirements (cleats or tennis shoes) will be communicated prior to tryouts based on the facility being used.
Equipment Requirements for the Season
Each player is responsible for providing:
- Bat
- Helmet
- Glove
- White baseball pants with black piping
Bat Requirements
Provided by RYBA
Each travel player will receive:
- One RYBA hat
- Two game jerseys (White and Black)
Team Announcements
Team selections will be announced after the completion of all tryouts and evaluations. Families will receive notification once teams have been finalized.
Additional information regarding travel fees, coach assignments, schedules, and uniforms will be provided after teams have been selected.
RYBA Travel Baseball Tryout Details
We are excited to announce that registration for the 2027 RYBA Travel Baseball season opens Friday, August 1, 2026, for players in the 12U, 13U, and 14U age divisions. As our travel program continues to grow, we are looking forward to another exciting season of player development and competitive baseball. If your player is interested in playing travel baseball next season, we encourage you to register early.
Registration Information
Registration for 12U–14U opens on Friday, August 1, 2026.
A $55 tryout fee and $260 base registration fee are required at the time of registration.
Both fees are non-refundable if a player is selected for a travel team, withdraws from the program, or is unable to participate after registering.
2027 Travel Tryouts (12U–14U)
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
Location: Rochester Baseball Complex – Fields 1, 2 & 3
Tryout Times
If your player is unable to attend due to illness or an unavoidable conflict, please notify Mickey Rowland at mickeyrowland@gmail.com as soon as possible.
There are no make-up tryout dates.
Bubble Tryouts (Invitation Only)
A Bubble Tryout will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2026, for selected players who require an additional evaluation before final team placements are made.
Bubble tryouts are by invitation only. Not every player will be invited.
An invitation does not indicate that a player has made or been cut from a team. It simply means additional evaluation information is needed before final roster decisions are made.
Players invited to the bubble tryout will receive additional details, including their check-in time and schedule.
Planned Team Structure
Thanks to the continued growth and success of RYBA Travel Baseball, we are planning to offer the following teams for the 2027 season.
Final team offerings will depend on registration numbers and the results of the tryout evaluations.
We are especially excited to expand the 12U and 13U divisions to include two AA teams, creating additional opportunities for players to compete at a higher level. We are also planning additional opportunities at the 11U level with four teams, including AAA, AA, and two A teams.
Please note that the number of teams at each age level is subject to change based on registration numbers and overall tryout results.
Team Placement
Player placement is determined through a combination of the tryout evaluation process and post-season coach evaluations.
Tryout evaluations provide an objective assessment of each player's current skills, while post-season coach evaluations provide additional insight into each player's overall development, baseball knowledge, work ethic, coachability, attitude, and performance throughout the previous season.
Independent paid evaluators will assess each player's skills during tryouts to help place players on the team that best matches their current ability and development.
Individual team placements will be communicated after all tryouts and bubble tryouts have been completed.
Parent Information
To provide the best evaluation environment for all players, parents and spectators will not be allowed inside the tryout evaluation area during player evaluations.
Player evaluations are completed by independent paid evaluators who are not RYBA coaches or board members.
Families may see board members and coaches assisting at different stations during tryouts. Their role is limited to recording objective information, such as pitching velocity or running times, while independent evaluators focus on the player's performance evaluation.
Every effort will be made to avoid having a coach assist with the age group they coach. If scheduling makes this unavoidable, their role will remain limited to recording objective information.
Age and Grade Requirements
Distance and Speed Chart
9U–11U Travel Baseball
Registration for 9U, 10U, and 11U Travel Baseball will open on December 1, 2026.
Tryouts for these age groups will be held on:
Monday, February 15, 2027 (Presidents Day)
Location: RCTC Fieldhouse
Additional information regarding registration, tryout times, and the evaluation process will be shared closer to the tryout date.