Town Ball comes to Eden Prairie

Ryan and Nate Cousins share a love for baseball.

The two brothers have been playing since they were kids growing up in Fargo, and it was their common passion for the grand old game that sent them down a long, winding path, which eventually led to a new Town Ball team for Eden Prairie in 2024.

From May to August, Town Ball is ubiquitous in Minnesota, defining summertime for countless players and communities from Warroad to Worthington to Winona and numerous towns in between.

Minnesota Town Ball carries a rich history, spanning 100 years and featuring 300 teams in towns and cities across the state, far surpassing anywhere else in the country.

Storied ballparks in destinations like New Ulm and Delano, Cold Spring and Miesville, are just a few of the charming venues providing their communities with cherished gathering places to enjoy the unmistakable rhythm of America’s pastime.

Now, with help from the Cousins brothers, Eden Prairie joins this uniquely Minnesota tradition, with Baseball 365, EP’s very own Town Ball team.

Brothers in baseball

Eden Prairie’s entrance into the pastoral world of Minnesota Town Ball can be traced to the Cousins brothers’ participation in Town Ball leagues after they graduated from college. Ryan attended Concordia College in Moorhead, while Nate, a year older, went to Hamline University in St. Paul. 

Ryan’s job brought him to the Twin Cities, where he joined Nate, playing on local amateur baseball teams. But their dissatisfaction with the offerings of baseball gear at area retailers led to a career change for both brothers.

“There really wasn’t a very good baseball store locally to go to for guys that wanted higher-end equipment,” Ryan Cousins said. “At the time, I was working for AT&T, and Nate was working at a bank. We decided to get out of that and open our own store.”

Baseball 365 opened its doors along a Bloomington strip mall in 2011. The store quickly became a favorite location for baseball and softball enthusiasts wanting specialized equipment they couldn’t find at the big box sporting goods stores.

“As much as I love Scheels, and it’s a beautiful store,” Ryan prefaced his comment. “Scheels and Dick’s (Sporting Goods) don’t carry a lot of that equipment. We carry a lot more than they do in that range.”

After three years in business and still playing baseball in the area, the brothers decided to start their own Town Ball team. In a savvy marketing move that leveraged the store’s growing notoriety, they decided to name the club after their business. And Baseball 365 – the team – was born.

“Mainly it was advertising for the store,” Ryan said. “And it was nice to run our own team.”

2014 marked Baseball 365’s inaugural season. The new club played in the Park National League, making their home at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.

After a few lean seasons in the early going, the brothers eventually discovered they could rely on their store as an efficient means to scout local talent.

“Obviously the first couple years were pretty tough to get players, but a lot of our kids that we get (to play on the team) are from the store, just customers that come in,” Ryan explained.

Town Ball players can range in age from 18 to 80, but the majority are recent high school graduates and former Division II and III college players who still want to play the game. 

“Players are shopping, and we’d ask them where they’re playing and if they’re going to play college somewhere else,” says Ryan, who still competes at age 43. ”We’ll ask them if they need a team to play on, and that’s where we got a lot of these guys.”

The move to Eden Prairie

After 10 seasons of sharing Parade Stadium with eight and sometimes 10 other teams, coupled with high participation costs and substandard field maintenance, Baseball 365 realized a new venue was needed. 

Their choice for a new home brought Town Ball to Eden Prairie. The selection was an easy decision for the brothers; Ryan and his family live in Eden Prairie, while Nate is close by in Bloomington. 

The move also meant Baseball 365 is now in the Riverview League, along with teams from Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Plymouth, and others. They also compete against non-league clubs around the region.

The team has taken up residence at Round Lake Stadium and is 15 games into the 2024 schedule, which began on May 4. The ballpark is shared with Eden Prairie High School and the Eden Prairie American Legion team as well.

“Getting this park, it just reinvigorates you because it’s so nice to have our own place and have some pride and take care of it,” first baseman Nate Behlen said. 

Behlen is quick to give credit to Jason Rogers – father of two players on the team, Wyatt and Walker Rogers – for his efforts in maintaining the facility before and after Baseball 365 games.

“(Rogers) comes here early and gets the field ready for us,” Behlen said. “He’s been very hands-on with helping with the field and that’s been a huge help for everybody.”

Behlen, at 43, is the same age as Ryan Cousins. He has been with the team since its inception 10 years ago and was a loyal customer of the store long before the team’s first season.

But Behlen, who grew up in Fridley, wasn’t aware he was eligible to play on a Town Ball team without being a resident of the host community. Minnesota Town Ball does have certain requirements, but its “radius rule” merely stipulates that players live within 30 miles of their home ballpark.

“They said, ‘Hey, we’re starting this Town Ball team,’ and I was like, ‘We can play Town Ball?’” Behlen recalled. “So I didn’t start playing Town Ball until I was 33. I’ve had the time in my life, and sometimes I look back and I kick myself for all those years I missed.”

While he admits to being an old-timer by comparison to most players, Behlen said the camaraderie and competition keep him coming back each season.

“It sounds cliche, but hanging out with the guys and the stuff off the field after games is fun,” he said. “But competing and being an older guy, I really really enjoy seeing the younger guys grow year by year and mature and see them develop as players and people.

“That to me is a ton of fun; that’s the allure for me.”

While no former Eden Prairie High School players are on the roster this season, Ryan Cousins hopes that will change with the move to Round Lake Stadium.

“Since it’s our first year (in Eden Prairie), we’re kind of working with the Legion coach and the high school coach to figure out who would fit,” he said. “Next year, I’m assuming we’ll have three or four Eden Prairie kids on the team.

“That’s kind of the idea to grow, to give the local kids a place to play, too.”

Two brothers, two locations

On a recent Saturday at Round Lake Stadium, Baseball 365 defeated the Minneapolis River Rats 5-3, extending a six-game win streak to start the month of June.

Ryan Cousins was busy all afternoon, with his roles as player (designated hitter), manager, and co-owner – of the team and the sponsoring store.

Nate, who pitches for Baseball 365, was occupied managing the store and missed the game. But that’s customary for the pair. One of the two is always at the Bloomington shop, which is open seven days a week. If there is a game, one brother is playing while the other is minding the merchandise.

“We enjoy it. It’s fun to have your own team,” Ryan said. “It’s a headache sometimes, but again, it’s fun. As long as everybody shows up, it’s fun.”