Top Batting Cages In Connecticut

The Daily Meal Staff|Aug. 29, 2014 7:00 am EST

A batting cage is a great place to work out aggressions, blow off steam or just have a little fun knocking a ball around. It is also a tool, a facility where a student athlete, a Little League, Babe Ruth, local team or professional ballplayer can go to hone their skills and become a better, more powerful, more focused batter. Some batting cage spots in Connecticut are just meant to attract the casual fun lover, while others focus on the more serious ballplayer. Whether looking to up your game or just have a good day out, those who want a day at bat have a lot of choices in Connecticut.

Caddie Shack – Miniature Golf and Batting Cages
316 Ashley Falls Road
Canaan, CT 06018
(860) 824-8479
www.caddieshackct.com

The Caddie Shack is the last place on Route 7 heading out of Connecticut and the first place heading into the state from Massachusetts where fun-seekers can go to bat a baseball or whack a softball. Located less than a mile from the state line (and next door to one of the best pizza parlors in Connecticut – the appropriately named State Line Pizza), the Caddie Shack is open seven days a week from April through October. Joint owners Jerry and Mary Ellen Baldwin and Keith, Erin and Emma Ohler run a great family-fun place with a big and challenging miniature golf range, an indoor arcade and the locally famous "Snack Shack" which offers burgers, ice cream and more. The batting cages, of course, are a big draw, with both fast and slow pitch baseball and softball. But it is nice that there is plenty to do for those who either are not into batting balls or want to do something else in addition to the cages. The Caddie Shack also has a nice open pavilion where visitors can take their snack or just sit and read while the kids play.

B&B Cages
18 Center St.
Shelton, CT 06484
(203) 924-5837
www.bandbcages.com

B&B Cages in Shelton is not the average batting cage spot. This spot is serious about hitting balls – baseballs, softballs and golf balls. B&B has cages for all three, and while players can just bat a ball for fun, B&B has a staff of pros that will help players improve their game and hone their technique. This spot offers advice, conditioning and instruction not just in batting put also in pitching, for which it also has cages. The indoor golf driving range and indoor golf course simulator are fun but also very useful for those seeking to be better golfers. B&B has vector golf swing analyzer machines and professionals who can fit golfers with the perfect fit. This place is a lot of fun for individuals, clubs and groups – but it is also and even primarily a training and conditioning center for athletes and anyone else who is serious about being a better pitcher, batter or golfer. B&B offers clinics and has a strength conditioning center for young athletes 8 to 14 years of age.

Sports Center of Connecticut
784 River Road
Shelton, CT 06484
(203) 929-6500
www.sportscenterct.com

There must be something about Shelton that attracts ball players. Sports Center of Connecticut not only has a great set of batting cages, but it also has mini-golf, a driving range, bowling, paintball and laser tag – and has an indoor ice rink with free skating, pick-up and league hockey games. There is also an arts and crafts center and an arcade in the complex. The batting cages are all outdoors, and while anyone can purchase a few tokens to bat a few balls, they also can be reserved in advance for half-hour or one-hour sessions. There is slow, medium and fast pitch softball, and baseball machines that can be set to a very slow 28 mph up to the "bring the heat" 91 mph. The eight batting cages are a big draw. but there is a lot more to do at SportsCenter; it is a place for the entire family, either to play together or to split off and each do their own thing.

Berlin Batting Cages
1801 Berlin Turnpike
Berlin, CT 06307
(860) 828-7518
www.berlinbattingcages.com

When they say "Berlin Batting Cages has it all," the staff at this site isn't kidding. In addition to the cages, it has bumper boats, go-kart racing and not one but two miniature golf courses – and much, much more. The batting cages, however, are the heart and soul of the Berlin complex. Anyone can hit a dozen balls for 99 cents or call ahead to schedule a one-hour cage rental, but the serious ballplayer can also take instruction from a real Major League professional. Paul Baretta taught batting to the Yankees and scouted for the Mets and Royals, and also played minor league ball for many years in his youth. He offers private and semi-private lessons for those who want to learn how to hit a baseball the right way.

The Batting Cage
420 Canfield Ave.
Black Rock, CT 06605
(203) 259-2255
www.thebattingcage.com

The Batting Cage in Black Rock proudly boasts of being "the home of the Connecticut Wolfpack" for its cages are where the 15-and-younger baseball teams' players hone their batting skills. The cages here can be visited just for fun, but professional instruction is also an option. The Batting Cage has developed what it calls the Kinetic Load Baseball method that applies the science of physics to batting. It promises that through use of this method, it can help a player develop a better and more consistent swing with more power and more fluidity of movement. It also provides instruction in pitching, fielding, catching and other baseball skills. The Batting Cage is fun, but its primary purpose and focus is on making better ball players.

Mark G. McLaughlin is a professional and prolific writer with a proven publishing record in a wide variety of fields. An historian, novelist, freelance journalist, ghost-writer, book reviewer, magazine editor, web and magazine columnist, Mark has more than 30 years of experience. His work can be found at Examiner.com.