Cottage Grove Baseball offers three levels of Traveling baseball: AAA, AA, and A, with players placed at the appropriate level after annual player evaluations.

Each level of play requires hard work, commitment and desire.  We believe in teaching structure, discipline and baseball fundamentals. Coaches will expect commitment, discipline, desire and effort to improve. Coaches are volunteers at all CGAA levels.

Our goals are to teach players to set goals and work hard to achieve them. We do not try to shelter players from their mistakes, rather we want to teach them to embrace them and figure out what work they need to do to correct them. Baseball is a sport where you are allowed to fail, pick yourself up and try again. Baseball teaches you that mistakes are not failure but rather teaching moments that help you improve.

POSTED SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Hello CGAA Baseball Community,

Thank you to all the players who participated in our 2023 Traveling Baseball Player Evaluations on September 10-11. And thank you once again to the independent evaluators and all of our volunteer Age-Level Advisors and Coaches for the time and effort put into planning and holding the evaluations. We had great weather, and everything ran smoothly.

2023 TRAVELING TEAMS
Teams and head coaches for the upcoming 2023 season are now posted in the PDFs below.

If your son's name is not listed on a team for 9U-12U, we highly encourage them to participate in CGAA Baseball's In-House program. In-House registration will open in early 2023. All 13U-15U athletes who participated in evaluations have been placed on a 2023 team.

2023 PLAYER REGISTRATION
CGAA Baseball will post and email a link to officially register for the 2023 season in the coming weeks. Fees to be announced at that time will be due in two waves. An initial payment to reserve and lock your place on the team and the balance due as we approach the 2023 season itself. After the initial registration closes, teams will be rostered on our website and in the SportsEngine app.

UNIFORMS
Players will once again order uniforms directly at each family's separate cost and in addition to registration fees. Additional details will be shared this coming spring. Players will keep their same jersey numbers or get assigned a new jersey number if new to the traveling program. Jersey numbers will be posted in concert with the uniform ordering window in 2023.

CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON POSITIVE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Each year, the CGAA Baseball Board evaluates team placement within each age level (AAA, AA or A) based on the previous year's performance and independent evaluator analysis, with an increased emphasis on positive player experience and development. CGAA Baseball has tried multiple team placement options over the years depending on the respective skill level and player participation numbers. Most recently and especially at the younger ages (9U-11U), CGAA Baseball has found success ensuring teams are placed where they can compete and grow, a trend that will continue in the coming year. The following teams have been formed for 2023:

15AAA
14AAA, 14AA
14/15A Green, 14/15A White, 14/15A Black
13AAA, 13AA, 13A
12AAA, 12AA, 12A
11AA, 11A, 11A Development*
10AA, 10A, 10A Development*
9AA Development*

*All CGAA Traveling Baseball teams – except for 11A Development, 10A Development and 9AA Development – will play a full MBL regular season and multiple tournaments (plus one or more state tournaments if they qualify). The 11A Development, 10A Development and 9AA Development teams will explore one or more scheduling options. In past years, Development teams have not played an MBL season so that they can maximize practice time; however, they have participated in multiple traveling tournaments. The Board envisions these Development teams will follow a similar format.

If your athlete is on the 11A Development, 10A Development or 9AA Development team, please look for a separate email from the respective head coach in the coming weeks to discuss.

Please use the link below to contact CGAA Baseball Traveling Director Brian Steffes with any further questions.

Go Wolfpack!

Metro Baseball League Bat Standards (Updated July 27, 2021)
For the 2022 MBL/MBT seasons, MBL/MBT will allow the use of both USA and USSSA approved stamped bats in our leagues as well as in tournament play. The decision is in part to simplify the rules and regulations in both league and tournament play in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.  The following bat regulations will be in place:

Bats - The following pertains to the legality of bats in the MBL/MBT for the upcoming  2022 season.

9-11 year olds - Maximum diameter at the thickest part: 2 1/4", 2 1/2”, 2 5/8” or 2 3/4”  with UNLIMITED weight differential and a USSSA or USA mark and meet Bat Performance Standards.

​12-13 year olds - Maximum diameter at the thickest part: 2 1/2", 2 5/8”, or 2 3/4” barrel with minus 10 weight differential and a USSSA or USA mark and meet Bat Performance Standards OR maximum diameter at the thickest part: 2 1/4" or less with UNLIMITED weight differential and a USSSA or USA mark and meet Bat Performance Standards.

14 year olds  -  Maximum diameter at the thickest part: 2 3/4" or less barrel with  maximum minus 5 weight differential with USSSA or USA mark and  meet  Bat Performance Standards. (This includes 14/15A Division).

15 year olds - Maximum diameter at the thickest part: 2 5/8" or less with a minus 3 weight differential and be BBCOR approved. 

All bats 36" or less. Wood bats allowed at all ages.

The Traveling Director oversees the traveling program.  They are responsible for working with MBL, our traveling league organization, to set up teams and tournaments.  Additionally, he coordinates and manages traveling coaches, level directors and the traveling tryout process.