Batting Cage

• Only Registered VMSA coaches are permitted to book and use the Batting Cage and only for practices for their teams. Use by individual members and/or non-VMSA members is NOT PERMITTED.

• Please make sure that you clean up the cage once you have finished using it. This includes putting all the balls and equipment away, making sure the gravel is raked and smoothed, making sure the power plugs for the machines are disconnected, and making sure the cage is locked before you leave. Any team not respecting these conditions may have their batting cage privileges revoked.  

  Click HERE to access the Batting Cage Booking Spreadsheet.

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Benefits of having Batting Cage Practices

In a regular game, a batter may only get 2-3 turns at bat and may only face 10-15 pitches. Of these pitches, they may only make contact with the ball 3-4 times per game. Batting Cage Practices allow players and coaches to get quality time focusing on hitting and for coaches to work individually with players on their hitting techniques.

How to Use the Batting Cage

• The VMSA Batting Cage is located at Trafalgar Park next to the Trafalgar #1 diamond.
• Coaches are provided with keys to the Batting Cage at the start of the season. The fieldbox key also opens the lock to the batting cage. Please make sure padlocks are locked on the side of the batting cage while you are using the batting cage as we have had many locks go missing in the past.
• Only approved adults are permitted to operate the pitching machine equipment.
• No children/players are allowed in the batting cage unless they are supervised by an approved adult.
• There are two cages within the batting cage. The one on the left is the one most commonly used but both are available for use.
• Only pitching machine balls are to be used with the pitching machines in the batting cage. 
• For safety and insurance purposes, players will need to come with full batting gear (helmet, cage/mouthguard, cleats, protector "jill").
• Composite bats are not recommended in the batting cage as the pitching machine balls destroy the bats.
• Please DO NOT leave the pitching machine running unattended at any time. Also please make sure you disconnect the power to the machines, collect all the balls and tidy up once you have finished your session.
• If teams are playing on Trafalgar #1, please make sure your players are not disrupting the game
• Please make sure you lock the cage when you finish your session. Do not leave it open and unattended as unauthorized users may wander in and/or others may be injured.
• Please notify the Fields Coordinator ASAP if you notice anything broken, missing or in need of repair.

Best Practices for Batting Cage Practices

• Have players who aren’t actively facing the pitching machine(s) hitting off tees or hitting with coach soft toss. Avoid having them standing around too long waiting for their turn in the cage
• Limit turns to 10-15 hits/contacts at a time per player. Allow players to rest a little in between turns.
• Focus players on practicing their hitting technique. Stop and demonstrate if you need to.

How to Book Batting Cage Time

Go to the VMSA website to access the Booking Spreadsheet (shared document on Google Sheets)
NOTE: be careful when you go into the Spreadsheet not to delete anything else as everyone has Edit Access.

Using the spreadsheet to book your Time Slots

1. Start by finding the correct Weekly Tab (A) for the date you want
2. Find the day, date and time you want for that week (B)
3. Enter your team name in the time slots requested (C)
4. Exit the Spreadsheet (automatically saves)

 
 

Booking Etiquette

• Delete any sessions YOU are not using so other teams can use those timeslots.
• NEVER delete someone else’s booking.
• Only book BOTH sides if you intend to fully use both sides. If you only intend to use one side, leave the other one blank for someone else to book. 
• House teams should limit their bookings to ONE per week and a max of 1.5 hrs. You should allow approx. 10-15 minutes in the cage per player. There are two separate cages inside the batting cage so you can run two players at a time also.
• Wildcats teams take priority for Batting Cage time.