" Cage Game" Drill

January 2002 By: Jonathan Burkett Setup:

This is to be used in the and is strictly a hitting drill. The game encourages the batters to the ball to specific areas in order to score hits and runs for the team. The game is played in . Each team gets three outs per . The scorekeeper keeps track of where the imaginary runners are and how many runs have scored. This is a very fun game and it gets very competitive.

You need a batting cage and preferably, a , but this can also be done with a in the cage. Divide the players into two teams.

The Drill:

1. Designate specific areas of the cage as hits and outs. 2. Play as many innings as you have time for, the winning team gets a break on close of practice , or you can give a small prize such as a baseball card. 3. Change the locations of hits and outs to work on specific hitting aspects. As the season progresses, you should be able to close a side of the cage to work on pulling to either the left or right side of field. 4. This game moves very quickly, batter steps in, swings, and the scorekeeper notes the results. The next batter steps in swings, and so on until the game is over.

Example:

1. A ball hit on the ground before it hits the net/cage is an . 2. A ball that hits the back of the net/cage on the fly is a run. 3. A ball that is fouled or tipped back is an out. 4. A missed ball can be either a strike or an out (depends on skill level.) 5. A ball pulled to the left cage is a . 6. A ball pulled to the right cage is a . 7. A ball popped up that hits the top of the cage near the batter is an out. 8. A ball hit deeper in the cage that hits the top of the cage is a .