On Deck Sports Team Feature: Jefferson County, PA, Baseball & Softball

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 PM34 our 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.