ARTSISLE

Designing & Supplying an Elite Baseball & Softball Indoor Training Facility

As baseball and softball training becomes more specialized and players are training more frequently, the demand for elite training facilities is on the rise. For athletes in the Huntsville, Alabama area there is a new indoor facility that brings a professional atmosphere with the best equipment – The Yard.

The Yard opened in 2017 after working with Keith Burke from On Deck Sports. “This was a very unique project because they had shorter batting cages,” Burke said when asked about the project. “They wanted a fielding area, which we were able to deliver inside our shell netting while delivering a safe batting cage environment.”

Jeremy Carter, the owner of The Yard, had worked with On Deck Sports in the past for both equipment supply and other indoor facilities, and all of his research pointed to us as the leader for indoor sports facility design and supply.

For his new facility, Carter decided on Elite artificial turf. This premium turf option is one of the strongest artificial turf options on the market, but still delivers a real grass look. The coaches at The Yard praise the turf for its feel on ground balls compared to other indoor turf options. Carter did decide to go with two colors of elite, green for the main playing area and a clay color around the perimeter of the main field. “I wanted to create the look of a ‘warning track’ from a real ball park,” Carter said when asked about utilizing multiple turf colors in his facility. The results are a good looking, unique baseball facility that players love.

“Elite turf is the best option for fielding activities – especially for baseball and softball,” Burke said when asked about The Yard selecting Elite. “It looks like natural grass, but does not require rubber infill. We call it the perfect hybrid of infill and traditional carpet turf. It is a long-lasting, good looking option that will hold up to daily use.”

“It was also important that we had multiple colors for the ‘warning track’ design element. Being able to deliver this look with the same style of turf made it much easier to lay out and install.”

The Yard - Huntsville, AL

The Yard’s logo custom inlaid with white turf

The Yard - Huntsville, AL

Custom batting cage nets retracted for a fielding area

The Yard - Huntsville, AL

The Yard has custom turf and batting cages for a unique design

The Yard - Huntsville, AL

The field at The Yard with the batting cages retracted for a full open fielding area

The Yard - Huntsville, AL

The Yard features the best equipment available for baseball & softball athletes in Alabama

For the practice area, Burke suggested a custom shell net batting cage that covered nearly the entire facility for a more efficient and safe space. The shell net is our most popular option for indoor batting cages. It allows our installation team to custom fit each facility for safety and maximum use of space. “The building they had dictated this batting cage design,” Burke said. “The building dimensions created some unique spacing challenges, but we were still able to fit a full shell net cage that Jeremy was looking for. In the end the cage running the full length of the facility was the biggest factor. Adding our sliding divider nets made it so they could have a flexible facility that was easy to change over.”

The new batting cage measured 84-feet in length and featured sliding barrier nets that can create six batting cages, or retract to provide a fielding area for training ground balls, practicing base running or creating a strength and conditioning area for Carter and the athletes at The Yard.

“This was the best thing about the design,” Carter said when asked about his new batting cage. “We have the ability to take ground balls up to 90 feet but then separate into six hitting stations. We were able to maximize our space and get the most out of practice in a short amount of time.”

The Yard - Huntsville

The Yard - Huntsville

The Yard - Huntsville

Along with the new turf and batting cage, The Yard also utilized our vinyl backdrops to protect their netting and the Batting Mat Pro to protect their turf from heavy use. These indoor sports facility essentials look great and help extend the life of batting cages by protecting the netting and turf.

Carter said he “absolutely would” open his next facility with On Deck Sports. “The equipment is fantastic and the installers were professional and very knowledgeable. My only regret was that I didn’t have a bigger facility.”

The Yard – Huntsville

4721 Commercial Drive NW

Huntsville, AL 35816

(256) 665-9397

https://theyardhuntsville.com/home.php

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Supplying Premium Artificial Turf & Baseball Training Equipment to Proformance Sports Academy

Nobody knows the benefit of elite training facilities more than professional athletes. Baseball players in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area have reaped the benefits of this knowledge thanks to former professional pitcher Dustin Moseley opening Proformance Sports Academy.

Moseley worked with On Deck Sports in 2014 to open a professional-level training facility, and worked with On Deck Sports to do that.

Moseley worked with Justin Gordon at On Deck Sports to open his 10,000-plus square foot facility with artificial turf, batting cages and padding. “I [decided to work with] On Deck Sports because they had everything under one roof to help me easier navigate purchase options and stay within budget,” Mosley said when asked why On Deck Sports was the choice to outfit his baseball facility. “I connected with Justin Gordon who went above and beyond to make sure we accomplished our goals of creating a great facility as well as staying within budget. Justin made great suggestions that help create our vision. We now have the best facility in the state of Arkansas due to the help of Justin and On Deck Sports.”

Gordon decided on a custom shell net batting cage – an On Deck Sports specialty – with six hitting and pitching tunnels. He paired this with Stadium padded turf and custom wall padding for the walls and support posts in the building. “Dustin wanted to go with a durable turf that was easy to clean, making Stadium the easy choice,” Gordon said when asked about the decision to outfit Proformance with Stadium padded artificial turf. He also had a running lane in his gym, and the height of Stadium turf matched that. It is strong enough to stand up to the big numbers that Dustin sees in his facility, so it was really a choice that worked for everyone.”

Proformance Baseball Academy

Proformance trusted the Premium Series L-Screen to protect coaches during batting practice

Proformance Baseball Academy

A batting tunnel with the Batting Mat Pro, PVTee and more at Proformance

Proformance Baseball Academy

An Iron Mike pitching machine loaded up and ready for batting practice

Proformance Baseball Academy

The Designated Hitter and 9-Hole Pitcher’s Pocket are in place to help pitchers practice without the need for a batter or catcher

Proformance Baseball Academy

Our custom shell net batting cage surrounding the indoor baseball practice area at Proformance

Proformance Baseball Academy

One of the pitching tunnels at Proformance with a ProMounds Practice Mound, Premium Series L-Screen & Batting Mat Pro

Proformance Baseball Academy

The completed Proformance Baseball Academy

The shell net batting cage was not just made to fit batting cages, however. Mosley wanted to make sure he could train pitchers in his facility and within the confines of the cage. “We wanted to create a facility that had many options for our athletes that would better help their focus and help them perfect their skills,” Mosley said when asked about his multi-use tunnels. “I believe by having a designated pitching area and hitting area this allows our athletes to accomplish this by giving them room to breathe with adequate space in between training areas. High level focus is needed when learning new skills and mechanics and as instructors we wanted our athletes to be able to accomplish their goals without other players breathing down their necks.”

Inside of the facility, Mosley stocked his athletes with ProMounds Portable Pitching Mounds, Premium Series L-Screens, Iron Mike pitching machines, the Batting Mat Pro, The Designated Hitter and more. These ProMounds training products provide added durability at a great price point according to Gordon. He suggests these products for all high-level baseball and softball facilities, and Moseley agreed with his assessment of the products.

“Everyone has heard the saying ‘If you look good you play good’ – we believe this is true with a training facility like Proformance Sports Academy,” Mosley said when asked about adding all his equipment through On Deck Sports. “If you want to look legit as an indoor facility you have to buy quality products to accomplish this. On Deck Sports has only sent us quality products, and we believe you get what you pay for!”

Since opening in 2014, Moseley and his staff at Proformance have seen a tremendous amount of success training the top baseball players in Arkansas. Both the staff and the athletes train in an elite training facility, and might see more in the future. “Actually, we are working on building a 34,000 square foot facility (three times the size we are now) and we have already started putting our design together,” Mosley said. “Justin Gordon has already helped us get a budget together by giving us detailed product pricing, and tons of ideas so hopefully by the end of the year we will have our new facility open!”

Proformance Sports Academy

1202 Business Park Dr., Ste. 2

Little Rock, AR 72204

http://www.proformancelr.com/

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Tags: artificial turf, baseball, baseball & softball facility, baseball batting cage, baseball facility, batting cage, batting mat pro, facilities, facility, facility feature, indoor batting cage, indoor batting cages, indoor facility, indoor facility equipment, indoor sports facilities, indoor sports facility, on deck sports, portable pitching mounds, premium l-screens, shell batting cage, softball, softball facilities, softball facility, sports facility, sports netting, turf

Outfitting a 15,000 square foot indoor baseball facility in Lexington, KY

When the state of Kentucky and the sport of baseball are in the same sentence, there is generally one thought. While everyone knows about the bats, The Bluegrass State has also produced many elite baseball players – making an indoor baseball facility a natural fit.

In Lexington, Nick Williams has opened The Yard baseball facility to help these players train all year. The Yard opened in 2017 after Williams worked with Keith Burke from On Deck Sports. Williams had not heard of On Deck Sports prior to working with us, but was provided with the contact information of facility owners in his area to see what our facility team was capable of. After visiting these facilities and speaking more with Burke, Williams decided to work on a full indoor facility build out.

We worked with Williams on a 15,000+ square foot facility that features artificial turf fields, custom batting cages and equipment – all from On Deck Sports. “It was certainly a pleasant surprise when I could get everything from On Deck,” Williams said when asked about the convenience of our one-stop facility supply shopping experience. “The ability to get 99% of what I needed from one-stop combined with great customer service and friendly staff all played a role in my decision.”

We provided the yard with eight batting cages and a multisport field that all used our custom shell net batting cage design. This allows for the highest level of versatility and safety in The Yard. The batting cages have sliding divider curtains, allowing Williams to open the cages for fielding work or other sports such as lacrosse, soccer and more – making The Yard a multisport indoor facility.

This did not come without some challenges though. “This was an interesting project,” Burke said when asked about The Yard. “There were a lot of columns that ran through the facility, so I had to dictate the size of the field and cages around them. Some of the cages had to be smaller than we would have preferred but we were able to accommodate the number of cages needed.”

The Yard - Lexington, KY

On Deck Sports created a custom rendering of the new indoor baseball facility

The Yard - Lexington, KY

Our experts lay out the batting cages, turf and other equipment for The Yard

The Yard - Lexington, KY

Our facility plan shows every angle of the new sports complex

The Yard - Lexington, KY

A look at The Yard before our expert installation team started outfitting the facility

The Yard - Lexington, KY

The Yard is a multisport complex, and they got lacrosse nets from On Deck Sports to provide a lacrosse training area

The Yard - Lexington, KY

A young athlete works on batting practice inside our custom shell net batting cage with an Iron Mike pitching machine

The Yard - Lexington, KY

The Iron Mike pitching machine loaded up, ready for batting practice

The Yard - Lexington, KY

The completed indoor sports facility at The Yard in Lexington, KY

The Yard - Lexington, KY

A before and after look at The Yard in Lexington, KY

This custom batting cage design and versatility was very appealing for Williams. “It is certainly an important part of supplying options to my customers,” Williams said when asked about Burke’s batting cage and field design for his facility. “Batting cages can be constrictive and the opportunity to slide the cages back and utilize the entire turf area will be a great asset. The ability to slide back the cage netting had always been a thought in my mind but Keith provided some insight on how easily that would work and the minimal cost difference and it was a no-brainer in the end.”

Aside from the cages, Burke selected PM34 padded artificial turf for The Yard. It is the most popular turf for indoor sports facilities – providing a soft feel, realistic bounce and protection thanks to its polyethylene yarn and 5mm foam padding. This makes it an ideal turf for baseball & softball facilities or multisport complexes.

“I installed 15,000 square feet of turf and needed something that players could slide/dive on without risking injury but was still cost effective when considering the constraints of being a start-up business,” Williams said when discussing the turf options Burke laid out. “The turf, at the suggestion of Keith, fits both of those needs. It has held up perfectly so far and the limited play I have seen on it thus far leads me to believe that I went the right direction.”

Along with the sports netting and artificial turf, Williams was able to get a full supply of equipment from us. He stocked his facility with ProMounds Portable Pitching Mounds, Iron Mike pitching machines, Atec pitching machines, the Batting Mat Pro, Premium L-Screens as well as lacrosse and soccer goals for multisport training. The ability to get this equipment along with the netting, turf and installation services was a big factor for Williams and Burke when outfitting The Yard. The one-stop shop for Williams’ facility left him very happy with the results – allowing him to bring a terrific training facility to the athletes of Lexington.

“I would not only suggest On Deck Sports to other facility owners I would encourage that they use On Deck and I would also invite them to come check out my facility,” Williams said. “I fully plan to utilize On Deck Sports again. From their knowledge to their customer service to their one-stop shopping – it just makes sense. I’m certainly a satisfied customer.”

The Yard – Lexington, KY

117 Westhampton Drive

Lexington, Kentucky, KY 40511

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Supplying a durable, Double Commercial Batting Cage system for Jefferson County, PA, baseball & softball’s outdoor complex.

Baseball & softball teams and leagues across the country have been working with On Deck Sports to supply their athletes, coaches, fields and indoor facilities with the best equipment available since 2001. Recently, Jefferson County, PA, worked with us in search of a new batting cage for their baseball & softball youth leagues and high school teams.

Chad Weaver worked with Matt Hurley at On Deck Sports to order a Commercial Batting Cage that would serve baseball and softball players from tee ball through high school. According to Weaver, multiple teams spanning in age from five to 18 use the new cages every day throughout baseball and softball season.

Weaver found On Deck Sports after visiting The Baseball Bank in DuBois, PA – an indoor baseball facility that worked with On Deck Sports in 2015 to outfit their complex with turf, batting cages, training aids and more. “The quality of materials we saw in [The Baseball Bank] sold us on your product[s] being superior to other products we had seen,” Weaver said when asked about choosing to work with On Deck Sports over another company.

After discussing the needs of Jefferson County with Weaver, Hurley suggested a Double Commercial Batting Cage as the ideal option. These cages are manufactured for professional use with commercial grade nylon netting, 8-gauge uprights and a backdrop net to extend the life of the outdoor batting cages.

“I push the commercial cages for all youth, high school and even college teams,” Hurley said when asked about Weaver choosing the double cage. “The durability of a commercial cage is GREAT, I have never had any issues in my five years working with these systems. Going with a double obviously allows more kids to get work in by having both cages available and being side-by-side with shared middle poles saves money as opposed to going with two separate cage systems. Chad was looking to get the best cage for multiple levels, and wanted to save time and money – the Double Commercial Cage was a no-brainer for Jefferson County.”

Hurley also suggested PM34 batting cage turf to Jefferson County, providing a protective layer between the concrete pad that the cages are anchored on and the athletes. Not only is PM34our most suggested turf, it is a turf that is popular in batting cages, gyms and indoor baseball facilities. While outdoor cages generally use unpadded turf, Hurley suggested padded PM34 for Weaver’s batting cage. “They laid a 60′ x 40′ concrete slab, since it was going on a concrete pad, a turf with a padded backing is ideal because it gives some cushion underneath the turf and limits the bouncing and ricochet,” Hurley said. “Since the concrete was 60′ x 40′, five 12′ x 40′ rolls fit perfectly. They used seaming fabric and seaming turf glue to attach all of the rolls basically creating one large 40′ x 60′ roll.”

While PM34 is a durable artificial turf product, Hurley suggested the Batting Mat Pro to add into the cages. These turf mats feature a 5mm foam pad and spike resistant turf to make them extra durable. They have inlaid white turf lines, meaning they will not fade and are built to last. These mats can be used for baseball or softball, and will extend the life of your batting cage turf.

Jefferson County also took the safety of their coaches and athletes into account by adding two Premium Series L-Screens into their cages. These L-screens provide professional level protection for youth and high school coaches with our durable netting and think piping.

“The batting mats and L-screens are a MUST in every batting cage,” Hurley said when asked about the equipment for this cage. “Obviously the L-screens keep pitchers safe and the Premium Series L-screen is always my go too. The screen is great quality and affordable.”

“Since so much of the activity happens in the hitting area of the cage, putting a batting mat down in that area will help prolong the life of the turf,” Hurley continued. “Once that wears down, it’s easy to just order a new one. I always say it is much easier replacing a 12′ x 6′ batting mat than it is replacing a 12′ x 55′ roll of turf. The lines and the home plate give it the realistic batters box feel.”

Weaver has stated that the batting cage has more than met the expectations, and has worked quite well with at least 2-3 teams working in the cages every night through the season. Not only do the cages provide a professional experience, they increase the safety of the area and provide a second to none option for young baseball & softball athletes in the area to train.

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Tags: baseball, batting cage, batting cages, batting mat pro, Commercial Batting Cages, double batting cage, Double Commercial Batting Cage, on deck sports, On Deck Sports Team Feature, Outdoor Batting Cages, pm34, PM34 Batting Cage Turf, softball, Team Feature