Homemade Pitching Screens

Pitching screens can be a convenient injury-saving practice aid for baseball and softball pitchers. That said, pre-made pitching screens can be hard to find, and most available for purchase will cost you between $75 and $150 in 2010. Thankfully, an effective homemade pitching screen is not difficult to make. Professional baseball player Scott Spezio recalls making a pitching screen when he was young to protect his dad when he would help Scott practice his batting; he made the screen with a hammer, a few stakes, and some PVC pipe and netting from the hardware store.

Things You'll Need

  • 25 inches of 1 1/2-inch thick PVC pipe (conduit)
  • 2 PVC T connectors
  • 2 PVC 90-degree connectors
  • Small saw
  • Cyanoacrylate glue
  • Heavy net (such as fishing net)
  • Tape measure
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure and cut the 25-inch-long PVC pipe into seven pieces; four 2.6-inch pieces and three 5-inch-long pieces.

    • 2

      Construct two feet for you pitching screen stand with the four pieces of 2.6-inch inch pipe and the two T connectors. Connect two of the 2.6-inch inch pieces of piping to with a T connector and crazy glue; apply glue to the inside of the connector holes on the cross section of the T, then quickly slide each of the two pieces in, turning firmly as you do so. Repeat this process to construct the other foot.

    • 3

      Attach your 5-inch pieces of pipe to each of the stand's feet. Apply glue to the inside of the hole at the base of the T (the only hole remaining) and twist the 5-inch-long piece of pipe into it. You should now have two large T-shaped pieces of piping.

    • 4

      Connect the two large T pieces of piping by attaching the last remaining 5-inch piece of pipe to the two structures through the 90-degree connectors. Attach a 90-degree connector to each of the two 5-inch pieces of piping protruding from the feet of the stand; attach the 90-degree connectors so that their available holes are facing one another when the feet of the stand are parallel to one another on the ground. Line the inside of the 90-degree connectors with glue and twist the 5-inch piece of piping into the holes, one at a time. The stand should now resemble a miniature soccer net without the net.

    • 5

      Slip a heavy-duty net over your PVC stand. Allow the netting to fall loosely over the stand, but tuck it under and around the piping to keep it in place You want the netting to deaden the flight of a ball that is hit back towards the pitcher; it the netting is stretched and fastened too tightly, it will cause the ball to rebound off the netting and back toward the plate.