Just wondering what everybody would recommend for practice balls, especially team batting practice (tee work, soft toss, etc). A lot of Amazon reviews on the less expensive balls suggest they deform pretty quickly. I'll probably hit up Play It Again to see what they have, but last I recall, their price for used softballs was actually more than just buying a dozen online.
Best practice balls
- Thread starter CoachJD
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- Apr 25, 2014
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We have used sterling balls for over a year and none of them have deformed. IMO they are the best balls for the money
Sterling or Dudley Thunderheat. Sterling will last about 18 months or so of heavy use before they start to soften up. OTOH, the Dudleys have some of the best seams for pitching overall and once rotated out of the pitching bucket into the team hitting bucket, I've had them for 2+ years in there.
ETA: make sure to order the leather cover though.
ETA: make sure to order the leather cover though.
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Just curious. Why the leather cover if they're just practice balls? Or are you saying get the leather cover if I'm going to use them for pitching practice?
Leathers won't scuff and tear as easily as the imitation cover and will last longer; especially along the seams which have a tendency to rip on the others. That said, Kcsftbal has the best suggestion IMO. Talk to the TD of local tourneys and see if they're willing to part with some of the used balls for a nominal price. They're usually a high quality ball with the leather cover and will last at least a year to a year and a half.
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely pick up some of those nicer ones (as long as the school can pay for them, of course).
Today I ended up buying a random assortment from Play It Again. I want thoughts on this: I didn't really discriminate, and some are slow pitch balls. If I'm using these for just soft toss/tee work where they're hitting into a net, is there any downside to not having 47/375 balls? I can't imagine there is, and for less than a buck and a half per ball, I didn't want to pass up a good deal.
Today I ended up buying a random assortment from Play It Again. I want thoughts on this: I didn't really discriminate, and some are slow pitch balls. If I'm using these for just soft toss/tee work where they're hitting into a net, is there any downside to not having 47/375 balls? I can't imagine there is, and for less than a buck and a half per ball, I didn't want to pass up a good deal.
As you have noticed, the core compression is less but if you're just using them to hit into a net, then they'll be fine for the that use. The girls just won't get the same impact sound from their bat which may make them think their bat is going dead
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.As you have noticed, the core compression is less but if you're just using them to hit into a net, then they'll be fine for the that use. The girls just won't get the same impact sound from their bat which may make them think their bat is going dead
90% of my girls wouldn't even understand "bat is going dead" at this point. I'm working with an incredibly inexperienced group.
