1. You already know that investing in quality training equipment is an investment in your players and your program. Batting cages and pitching machines enhance each other, and, if well cared for, should continue helping your team for years to come.
2. Many pitching machines are portable and can easily be taken on the road; you can use your familiar, quality machine even in another team's batting cage. Pitching machine carts make it easy to take the machines from cage to cage.
3. Batting-cage drills are tough on real baseballs, which wear out quickly. Luckily, there's a cheaper, longer-lasting option. Dimpled, rubber practice balls are made to tolerate the rigors of pitching machines, batting practice, and daily work in the cage.
4. Recessed-dimple practice baseballs and softballs are built for the batting cage. Their rubber construction holds up to the pounding of daily practice, and the dimples help simulate actual pitches in a batting cage setting. They tend not to work as well with certain wheel pitching machines, and can be tough on aluminum bats. When using these balls, you should set aside a few bats especially for batting cage use.
5. You hit in the batting cage to simulate real game conditions, so inevitably, you may prefer to use leather softballs or baseballs. There are pitching machine balls available with leather covers and low seams. They combine a realistic feel with batting cage toughness and Kevlar seams.
6. Young players may benefit from the use of polypropylene RIF (reduced injury factor) baseballs. These "safety training" balls won't hurt and help eliminate the anxiety commonly felt by many kids. RIF balls can help your players build their confidence and spend their time in the batting cage focusing on improving their swings.
Learn about pitching machine equipment in articles in the Batter Up section.
