Batting Cage Rules

Batting cages can be found across the United States and offer baseball and softball players an opportunity to work on their batting skills. Batting cages are indoors and outdoors, commercial or private, and are used for both recreational and organized skill development. Safety is a key concern in batting cages.

  1. Wear a Helmet

    • Wearing a batting helmet in the cage is among the most common batting cage rules. This is especially the case in recreational or commercial batting cages where pitches are made by automated pitching machines. Pitching speed varies and is often set by the user. Despite the intent of delivering consistent and accurate pitches, pitching machines can be errant and send pitches in the wrong directions. A fast-moving pitch of a baseball or hard ball can cause serious head trauma. Manual pitchers must often wear helmets as well. The Dallas Morning News, in a 2007 article titled "Going to bat for batting-cage safety," featured a story about a 17-year-old boy pitching in a Grapevine High School batting cage who died after being struck in the head with a ball.

    Be Respectful of Property

    • Along with rules to ensure user safety, rules that encourage respect and care for the batting cage and facilities are also common. Some cages list rules that specify that adults must accompany young children and only adults can operate machines. This serves both safety and ensures protection of property. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Placentia-Yorba Linda are direct in stating that "Abusive use and/or damaging of the batting cages will result in immediate removal and loss of privilege." Other cages require rubber cleats or shoes and prohibit metal cleats in order to protect batting cage surfaces.

    Clean Up After Use

    • In its discussion of automated batting cages, the TechWeb Batting Cages site recommends not picking up balls from the ground during or after use in the unlikely event that a ball gets stuck in a machine and is released unexpectedly. However, most commercial cages, especially those that are not automated, include rules requiring users to clean up after themselves. This includes equipment and trash. Concord Sports Center rules state "When departing please pick up all balls, helmets, bats and trash." Round Rock Champion Fields rules ask users to keep cages free of litter at all times. General rules stating "no food or drink" are also common among many batting cage rules lists.