Big Willow Baseball emphasizes having fun, player development and team competition.  The success of our weekend tournament teams is a testament not only to our players' skills on the field but also to the supportive community of families and volunteers that make Big Willow a great place to play and grow.

One thing that makes Big Willow unique is our Travel Lite program, which allows players to compete in weekend tournaments while still playing alongside their friends with a consistent schedule in our house league at the beautiful Big Willow fields. It’s the best of both worlds—high-level development and competition, paired with the fun and camaraderie of local league and interleague play.

At Big Willow, we recognize baseball is not the only sport or activity your children may be involved in. We welcome multi-activity families, allowing kids to play in our Travel Lite program without requiring a weekday travel commitment.

If your child plays another sport, is involved in other activities, or your family would benefit from a consistent schedule, but your child also seeks competitive baseball in the spring, Big Willow is a great solution.

Looking ahead, Big Willow will hold evaluations later this year and again next spring. Our goal is to field the following travel lite teams for the 2026 season:

• 8U Travel/Travel Lite Pathway program (advanced 7 and 8U)
• 9AA (advanced 8U and 9U)
• 10A
• 11A
• 11AA
• 12A

If your child will be at least 7 years old as of May 1, 2026, and is interested in taking their game to the next level while still enjoying the community spirit of house ball, we’d love to see you at evaluations.  Even if you aren't sure yet, participating in evaluations is an important first step.

8U Players: If you are 8U and do not make the 9AA team, we will have an 8U Development Series, but not any weekend tournaments.  You MUST participate in evaluation process in order go be eligible for this program.

We just added a small group evaluation for some late-adds.  Register for Travel Lite Evaluations on October 7th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Big Willow fields.

8U* through 12U (12 or younger as of May 1, 2026)

Advanced 8-year olds may be considered for our 9AA team or the Travel/Travel Lite Pathway Program (8U refers to 7 and 8 year olds who are transitioning to Kid Pitch)

Our Travel Lite program is a great option for players interested in one or more of the following:

• Combination of being on a weekend travel team while still playing with friends during the week who may not be interested in competitive/travel baseball
• Schedule supports the ability to manage another sport or activity, but we do not allow rostered tournament team players to also play on a separate baseball league
• Consistent location, day, and time schedule during the week
• No weekend house ball
• Three to four weekend tournaments
• Tournament team-specific development and practice opportunities, including off season training (fee-based) and pre-season indoor practices (included)
• Reasonable fees (in addition to house ball registration fee)

• Travel Lite "tournament" teams are available for 9-12 year olds (as of May 1st each year), with about 11-13 players on each team.  Teams can expect to participate in 2-4 tournaments during the season. (8 year olds may be invited to join the 9AA team on a case-by-case basis.  They are encouraged to be evaluated in the Fall and against in the Spring.)
• Advanced 8 year olds may be eligible for the 9AA team
• Advanced 7 and 8 year olds may try out for the travel/travel lite pathway program along with developing 9 year olds, which is focused on core development to prepare these players to try out for a 9U or 10U team in the next one to two years
• Players must join a Big Willow Spring house ball team in order to be considered for a Spring Travel Lite team - we are a house ball program who offers optional weekend tournament team options (Travel Lite)
• Travel Lite team players are divided across house ball teams to facilitate balanced teams
• Fall evaluations conducted to roster 8-11 players per team and to begin planning coach assignments, off-season practices and tournament schedules
• Existing Big Willow players are prioritized when building travel lite team rosters
• Rostered travel lite Team players should not be enrolled in a separate baseball league.  The commitment of being on both a Big Willow houseball and travel lite "tournament" team (2 houseball practices, 1 tournament team practice, and then 3-4 weekend tournaments) is typically enough for most players.
• A waitlist may be warranted in the Fall while still reserving spots for Spring evaluations
• Spring evaluations to fill 1-4 remaining spots per team
• Multiple teams per age group may be formed, depending on interest and coaching staff

We don't charge for evaluations, but if you are selected for a Travel Lite team, you will be required to pay a nonrefundable commitment fee in order to hold your spot.

• $175 nonrefundable commitment fee (goes towards full fee) due October 1st
• Full fee varies each year based on roster size and number of tournaments, but between $400 and $600 per player
• Balance due March 1st
• Spring house ball registration and fee also required

Note Pathway participants have a lower commitment fee and registration fee.

Our 10A, 10AA, and 12A teams all qualified to play in the Minnesota Baseball Tournament State Championships this year—an achievement that reflects the hard work, dedication, and talent of our players and coaches.