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8U TRAVEL FASTPITCH

8 & Under (8U) ‘Travel’ Fastpitch Softball


8U Fastpitch is a step-up from In-House softball with the primary focus being to introduce the fastpitch game to all players. 

The ultimate goal of the program is that the girls have fun and continue to learn softball fundamentals while playing in a competitive environment. 

 

We will strongly emphasize the 'right' way to field, hit, throw, and catch.

About 8U Travel Fastpitch

Traveling – What does this mean?

Traveling simply means that our ‘league’ games include teams outside of Eagan.  Our 8U teams have ‘traveled’ to neighboring cities such as Edina, Rosemount, Eagan, Bloomington, Farmington, Inver Grove Heights, So St Paul, and Apple Valley to name a few.  There are about 50 teams in the 8U league.  The league does their best to ensure that teams do not have an unreasonable travel schedule and games are played as close to their home base as possible. 

Traveling indicates a step-up in competition.  Both of our fall teams competed very well with the other 8U teams in the league. Each team we face has a range of player development. The best part of a season is seeing each girl progress in some area from the start to the end. 

We encourage any player with a moderate to strong interest in softball to consider joining the 8U program.  The league is 100% about fun and development and NOT about winning games.

 

Notable Differences Between 8U Travel and In-House:

  • Pitching – 8U uses a “Louisville Blue Flame” pitching machine (spring loaded)
  • Scoring – score and records are kept for league/tournament play
  • Fielding – 8U games record outs; no stealing or running on over-throws
  • Equipment – 11” ‘real’ balls are used (same as the 10U teams; no softies)


The 8U rules for the Bloomington and Eagan tournaments are attached.  These are very similar to what we expect to use for the “League” games.

 

Equipment:

Click here to see the Equipment list.

 

Uniforms:

8U players will purchase GRAY pants for the 2018 season.
Jerseys, socks and belt are provided. 

Questions?

If you still have questions after reading through the website, please contact:

Kim Turner

EFP Community Director

8U Information


Eligibility:
Any girl born in 2008 or later

Cost:
$110 Registration Fee
(includes jersey, socks, league games and 3 tournaments)

Registration:
Opens: Soon
Closes:   February 17, 2018

Player Evaluations 
Date:  March 9, 2018
5:30 - 7 pm @ Rosemount Dome
 

Season
Practices will  start in April. Games start May and the season ends with the State Tournament in July.

Practices  
April: Mon/Wed nights from 6:00-7:30 pm (in gym or outside based on weather)  
May-June:  Mon/Wed nights from 6:00-7:30 pm.

Games - Mon/Wed
Game schedule is published by TriCounty League of MN in late April. http://www.tricountyleaguemn.com/  Single games are played starting May 10 and run for 8 consecutive weeks ending on June 28th.  Last 2 games are double headers. 


Tournaments

  • Bloomington Bash
    (Sat, June 2018)  

  • Eagan Down N' Dirty
    (Sunday, June 2018)  

  • 8U State Tourney
    (July 2018) 
    Rosemount

Player Evaluation & Team Placement

If we have registered players to field 2 teams (minimum of 20, max of 24), we will place the girls onto their respective teams making the teams as even as possible. All players must attend the Player Evaluation Night at the Rosemount Dome.   

We take into consideration (1) special request made at the time of registration (i.e. friend) during the team formation process for Fall Ball. Requests must be mutual.  Requests are not guaranteed. With the Spring/Summer season, evaluations are used to place all girls onto equal teams.  

A Note to 8U Parents

Based on community need, there may be an opportunity for the top 8U players to be invited to the 10U tryouts. This would apply only to second year 8Us that have played one year in the 8U program.  These invites will be determined based on registration numbers and the number of teams that we are able to form at 8U and 10U age levels. 

Applicable candidates will be notified directly by EFP.

8U - Uniform Fittings and Documents Needed


New process for 2018!!
 

This document contains all information needed for your player’s uniform fitting.  Please read this carefully. 

Uniform fittings will be held prior to tryouts.  Samples of pants, jerseys and belts will be available for players to try on to get the right fit.  At this time all player documentation will also be collected.  

​ALL registered players must come to a uniform fitting and turn in the required documents listed below.  
 

These are the only dates for players to turn in the required forms and try on uniforms.  Fittings will be held at Blackhawk Middle School 

  • February 26th     5:30 - 7:00 pm
  • February 27th     7:00 - 8:30 pm
  • February 28th     5:30 - 7:00 pm
  • March 1st             7:00 - 8:30 pm

     

WHAT TO BRING:

  1. Wear sliding shorts
  2. $250 volunteer deposit (check payable to EFP)
  3. Birth Certificate (Returning players, we have yours on file) 
  4. A recent photo 
  5. This is the time or order extra pants if you are interested.  Checks made payable to EFP are due at this time for any additional items ordered 
  6. All items must be turned in at uniform fitting 

FALL BALL INFORMATION

8U Travel Fall Ball (Aug-Sept)


Registration
Registration opens in late June. This is a great time for new players to get started in the EFP program with our shortened 6-7 week season. 

The registration fee is $60, which includes a jersey and an end-of-season tournament.  

Registration is open for three short weeks and 8U Registration will accept the first 24 players.


Season   
The fall season begins early-mid August with team practices and ends in late September.  The fall season focuses on fun, introducing the sport to new players, the development of all players, and gaining experience playing fastpitch. 
 
Please see our Fall Ball page for more information.

Volunteer Requirements


ALL parents from the MN Stars, 8U Travel, League Only and all Tournament Travel teams are required to volunteer about 9 hrs (2 Dib shifts per player) at either the Eagan Down 'N Dirty Tournament in June or the Northern National Tournament that we host in July.  This is our only form of fundraising for the program.  

The revenue from these tournaments helps keep our program costs down.  These funds help pay for items such as; fields, equipment, admin fees, player insurance, tournament entry & gate fees and dome time that all Eagan Fastpitch players can utilize in the winter months.  A volunteer deposit of $250 is collected at tryouts. The check will only be cashed if your volunteer hours are not fulfilled by the end of the season.  You can choose to forfeit this deposit in lieu of working your volunteer hours.

This applies to all traveling members of our Spring/Summer Leagues. 

If you have any questions about the 8U program, please contact:

Jacki Stalboerger

Director of Softball

Kim Turner

Community Teams Director