A batting cage (or tunnel) is an enclosed area for

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

players to practice the skill of

batting Batting may refer to: *Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs *Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ru ...

. The optimal material for batting cages is netting, and they are typically rectangular in shape. Chain-link fence is not required but can be useful to enclose the netting to prevent vandalism. However, this material is not suitable for the primary impact layer because it will warp the fencing and damage balls. The ideal netting for a batting cage is either diamond- or square-shaped. Both types of netting have their advantages and disadvantages.

Usage

A batter stands at one end of the cage, with a pitching machine (or, less often, a human

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

) at the opposing end. The pitcher or pitching machine pitches baseballs to the batter, who hits them. It is recommended to use a protective pitcher's L-screen to prevent batted balls from striking the pitcher or machine. The cage is used to keep the loose baseballs within a certain range so that they're easy to pick up and are not lost. Batting cages are found both indoors and outdoors. The interior floor of a batting cage may be sloped, to automatically feed the baseballs back into the automatic pitching machine. The automatic pitching machines using sloped floors usually pitch out a synthetic baseball or softball, rather than an official solid core leather hardball. Commercial batting cages pitch with several different speeds, which can range from (for

) to per hour. Cricket nets and tunnels, used by

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

batsmen are similar in purpose, but bowling machines are much less common than facing a live bowler; baseball pitchers tend to practice in separate tunnels. Netting can greatly vary in quality and durability. #21 Gauge is suitable for little-league players, #36 Gauge is suitable for High-School players, and #60 is recommended for Commercial facilities and Pro Players. Resources such as thi
Netting Infographic Guide
are helpful for identifying the best netting for an application.

Types

Indoor

Indoor batting cages are typically suspended by steel cable lines, 1 line every 6–8 feet. The anchor points being the most important component, typically connected using a steel plate to the wall. Without strong anchors, the netting will sag.

Outdoor

Outdoor batting cages are typically installed using steel pole sections (2 uprights and 1 cross-bar per section), spaced every 12–20 feet. The greater the span between supports, the more sag in the netting and less usable the cage becomes.

References

Baseball equipment {{Baseball-stub