Help! I want a DIY backyard bullpen for my pitcher

[ckdomingo]

You won't need a mound ... Just sayin'

Oh ya, *a rubber. (basketball is my sport)

 

[ArmWhip]

If you want to keep it simple there are different size pop up screens/nets available, Rukket makes a 9' x 12' one. You'll have to have a way to anchor it in the wind and drop the net when you're done, unless you want to disassemble it all the time. For footing around the rubber consider a material like Har Tru which is used on tennis courts, you can buy it by the bag, it's similar to stone dust. You might be able to buy stone dust, but probably not bagged. You can use a tamper to pack it down. For a pitching rubber don't buy the one with the 3 screw-in spikes unless you can drill out the holes and use nail in spikes. There is a rubber with plates on the side for nail in spikes. Or you could go top shelf and buy a rubber that you dig in to the ground. The plates and rubbers with the screw-in spikes that you nail down never seem to go in straight and once a spike starts to go in crooked forget about it, the rubber will tear.

 

[Joel Rybacki]

Thanks. My friend did this and says it slips and slides on the grass and she doesn't like it, she thought it needs to be on concrete or mat (former college pitcher).

Yes, a box fram with no footing will slide. The 1" pipe gets bounded into the ground, flush and yje framework poles slide in. Easy to remove the entire frame and ground spike if needed (ad we had to do for a patio expansion. I'll post some pics for better explanation.

 

[Joel Rybacki]

 

[Joel Rybacki]

And I stand corrected. They are 1" main poles and 1 1/2" poles in the ground. I used 550 parachord for the lines to secure everything to the frame. Put up and rear down takes maybe a half hour. Looks a little wonky with the double netting because I had to remove the front 10' for a patio expansion and have not gotten around to moving the whole thing over a few feet. This has been up for 4 years and is just starting to show signs of abuse.

 

[ckdomingo]

I used structural galvanized steel pipe and associated fittings (can be found at most Lowes stores). 3/4" for uprights and cross beams. Cut, tapered and pounded into the ground 1" pipe so the cage could be disassembled in the winter. Sections of 10x10 netting with the edges wrapped together with rope to make larger sections is cheaper than one large section. For a backstop, I used light filtering netting. It's stronger than regular netting, heavy enough that it drops a ball quickly, and gives less distraction behind the plate.

Joel, where do you buy your netting? Light filtering and the 10x10

 

[Joel Rybacki]

Amazon for everything except the frame and connectors.

 

[Bpolly2004]

How much did all this cost? Netting and all materials.

 

[Joel Rybacki]

Netting was $160 for backstop ($30) and three 10'x20' sections of net. I don't have the original cost of the poles, but currently they and the other required hardware would run $39 for each 3/4 pipe and about $7 for each connector. So a total in today's dollars of about $550 for the frame. Ground spikes were 1-1/4 pipe which is about $56 today. And the cost of 5 hooks - about $3 each. This is for a 10'x20' tunnel. So around $780 total. The benefits for me are I can replace anything with standard equipment (No proprietary nets or connectors), I could buy pieces over time, I can extend it or shorten it (as I have done) if I ever feel the need, and when torn down (easily done by myself) the net fits in a 13 gallon storage chest and the pipes sit in the garage under a car or can be bound and tucked against a wall. As to strength, we had a 14' trampoline thrown into it during a storm. Bent up a few poles but they were easy to straighten up. No damage to netting or connectors. I doubt one of those fiberglass pole tunnels would have survived.