Backyard hitting and pitching area.

[knightsb]

I thought I'd share my backyard hitting and pitching area.

Our back yard is treed. I found a location with a natural chute through the trees to secure a 50'x12'x12' batting cage. I have the cage pulled up held by "S" hooks. For some reason the rabbits and deer like to chew on the net when it is down. When we are ready to practice, we unhook and let the net down. I secured the net directly to the trees using lag type bolts with hooks on the end. This image is looking from the pitchers plate to the hitting area.

I have two framed boxes made out of 2x8s, spaced 50' apart, exact length of the netted cage.

I leveled the ground on each end and set the framed 3-sided boxes on top of the ground. I then secured the boxes to the ground by driving in 3' long pre-cut rebar (purchased from Lowes). This image is looking from the hitters area back toward the pitchers plate.

I purchased an ATEC pitchers target that I set up opposite of the pitchers plat for DD to throw to. This setup is ideal because it gets me off the bucket, and I can stand next to DD while she pitches to coach, record, or just converse. The target is much better for DD as it doesn't lie. She either hits her spot or doesn't... there is no fudging or framing by the catcher. Practicing this way has improved her accuracy.

For hitting, I have an L-Screen ready.

The boxes are filled with mound clay and top dressed with infield mix.

 

[Softball scholar]

Pretty cool. You're officially a crazy softball dad. You might as well go all out if your're going to something.

I just put a pitching plate and a home plate in my back yard. I just cleared out a little grass around where my daughter strides. I eyeballed the aread and said the ground is pretty flat. She is complaining that the ground is hard when she pitches, as is it has been dry lately. Maybe I should got get some clay.

I do have to add that my daughter pitched a wild pitch in practice and in my attempt to catch it, it deflected off my glove and hit the neigbors decorative PVC fence and broke it.

 

[sftblldad7]

When do the lights go up

 

[starsnuffer]

That's awesome. Do you still have room for the pole barn though?

-W

 

[Axe]

Very well done. How did you figure out if the pitching area and home plate area were level with each other?

 

[Eric F]

My envy runs cold and deep.

 

[JJsqueeze]

My envy runs cold and deep.

Me too. I don't care about built in BBQs/4 car garages, but show me someone with a softball training facility and it makes me want to go to home depot....I'm mostly jealous of the fact that he has actual trees....I have sagebrush and rattlesnakes in the bottom half acre of my property...

 

[Eric F]

I've been able to sell my wife on the idea of bringing in a Bobcat to create some level ground (of which I don't have any), but a batting cage has been vetoed (so far).

 

[softball_mom#7]

So funny to listen (read) to you guys talk. I am the one mapping out the yard for my DH to put in a pitching area. I wish we had land, at least more space that didn't include the neighbors' crazy fence chewing dogs.

The only thing I have vetoed was hitting wiffle balls into the pop up net in the living room. I walked in the house and was like "ummm no. No, no, no.." They both gave me the deer in the headlight look.

 

[JJsqueeze]

So funny to listen (read) to you guys talk. I am the one mapping out the yard for my DH to put in a pitching area. I wish we had land, at least more space that didn't include the neighbors' crazy fence chewing dogs.

The only thing I have vetoed was hitting wiffle balls into the pop up net in the living room. I walked in the house and was like "ummm no. No, no, no.." They both gave me the deer in the headlight look.

do you also do the mom 'no no' if they play catch with eggs in the house? I hate it when DW does that! We got busted for watermelon catch last night...