Saturday afternoons, five weeks, real games on HitTrax. Probably the most fun you can have playing baseball indoors in January.
Players are drafted onto teams of three to five. Every Saturday afternoon each team plays two thirty-minute simulated games on HitTrax, with a pitching machine on the mound so every at-bat is a real at-bat.
Long enough for a season to mean something. Standings move, and the last Saturday matters.
Small rosters mean everybody hits, a lot. Nobody is sitting on a bench waiting for an at-bat.
HitTrax tracks every ball off the bat — exit velocity, distance, average, the lot. It is all on the screen as it happens.
The problem with an Illinois winter is that a hitter can go four months without facing anything. Cage work keeps a swing alive; it does not keep the competitive part alive.
This does. There is a score, there are teammates, and the number on the screen is public. Players hit differently when it counts, and that is the version of the swing you want in April.
There is a spectator area with a view of the cage and the screen. Sit down, watch the game, see the numbers as they land.
Saturday afternoon, indoors, warm. It beats a metal bleacher in April.
November into December. Starts as the offseason gets going, finishes before the holidays.
January into February. The stretch of winter where a hitter most needs something to compete in.
Each session is five weeks of Saturday afternoons. Sign up for one or both — plenty of players do both and treat it as their winter.
Any player who wants competitive at-bats over the winter. You do not need to be on a Gorilla team, and most of the players in it are not.
A camera and radar system that measures every ball off the bat — exit velocity, launch angle, distance and where it would have landed on a real field. It turns a cage into a ballpark with a scoreboard.
A pitching machine, set to a speed that fits the group. Consistent enough that every hitter gets a fair at-bat, quick enough to keep the game moving.
Two thirty-minute games. Plan on being in the building for a bit over an hour.
Yes, and you should. There is a spectator area looking at the cage and the live stats screen.
A bat, a helmet and gym shoes or turfs. That is it — no glove needed.
Tell us your player’s age and which session you are after and we will let you know as soon as registration opens. Spots go quickly — the rosters are small on purpose.
Gorilla Baseball Academy
958 Corporate Woods Pkwy, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Mon–Thu 4:00–10:00pm · Fri 4:00–7:00pm · Sat & Sun 10:00am–5:00pm
