From Pop Flies to Popsicles: Getting Started with 7U Travel Baseball

June 30 2025

travel baseball tournament

From Pop Flies to Popsicles

Getting Started with 7U Travel Baseball

🤔 So You’re Thinking About Travel Ball for Your 7U Team? Here’s What to Know.

If you’re coaching (or parenting a player on) a 7U team and considering dipping your toes into the travel baseball world... Welcome! It can feel like a big step - and honestly, it is. But it’s also one of the most rewarding stages of the baseball journey.

At 7U, most players are still figuring out how to hold a bat correctly. Gloves get worn on the wrong hand. There are tears in one inning and popsicles in the next. It's chaotic, endearing, and full of growth. But it's also the perfect time to start giving young athletes experiences that go beyond the local rec field.

Here’s some advice if you’re just starting out:

🏆 You Don’t Need to Be “Elite” to Join a Tournament

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about travel baseball, especially at the 7U level. A lot of teams assume they need months of practice, top-tier talent, and matching bat bags before they’re “ready.” Not true. What you really need is a group of kids who love the game (or are learning to), and adults who are willing to show up and support them.

Tournaments - especially the good ones - understand that 7U is about exposure and experience, not dominance.

🤪 Focus on Fun First

Wins are exciting. So are home runs, big plays, and dramatic comebacks. But at this age, none of that matters as much as the players simply enjoying the game. Choose events that celebrate the fun of baseball - ones that play music, hand out MVP medals, and prioritize sportsmanship.

A great tournament experience at 7U can spark a lifelong love of the game.

🎓 Use Tournaments as a Learning Tool

Tournament weekends are filled with valuable lessons for young teams: showing up on time, wearing the same jersey, listening to a coach during a stressful inning, waiting their turn, cheering on teammates - even just sitting through a game without running off to the playground. It’s all development.

Treat the tournament as a practice ground for your team culture, not just your batting average.

💪🏼 Lean Into the Community

Most of the other 7U teams you’ll meet are in the same boat. They’re figuring it out too. Talk to other coaches, introduce yourself to other families, share snacks, trade tips. The travel baseball community can be one of your biggest support systems if you let it.

💭 Final Thought: Start Growing Now

There’s no perfect time to start. Your team doesn’t need to have everything figured out before signing up for that first tournament. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by just doing it - together.

Find a tournament that feels welcoming, fun, and low-pressure, and let the experience be part of your team’s story.