Backyard BP

June 1, 2020

Art Eversole's backyard BP setup

By Art Eversole
Senior Softball News Contributor

As the moratorium on ball field usage in our area continues, I decided to do some hitting in my backyard (dry swings got old). 

I devised a home BP setup using tennis balls and carrier, a battery operated soft-toss machine, along with a piece of astro-turf.  Personally, I do not like hitting off the tee because hitting the lower half of the ball can meet the tee hardware. 

This soft-toss machine is adjustable for ball height.  I use the 6-second ball release delay (uses 3-AA batteries).  The process uses gravity to send the ball down to the awaiting batter and suspends in midair to strike at the height you have set the machine to. 

The tennis ball coming off the senior bat offers a solid feel and travels ~150 - 200 ft unless you are Bret Kreuger or Steve Leighton… then lookout neighbors.  

The two bats displayed are:
Yellow ONYX, 27oz two-piece
Orange 27oz Dudley Lightning one-piece, Mike McCarren model

Art Eversole, of Washington, has played on Major and Major Plus teams with W.E. Ruth Realty. He is the NW Senior Softball Webmaster/ Softball Communications/Hitting Club Admin/NW Leagues internet coordinator. Eversole can be reached via email at rtmyboy01@gmail.com.