Inventors Hope ‘Bataround’ Is A Big Hit
Whether it’s going to the batting cages or hitting off the tee, baseball and softball players are always searching for ways to add those few extra points to their batting average. But what about a portable device that can simulate pitch speeds upwards of 90 miles per hour?
After numerous prototypes and years of tinkering, Rick Chambers and Larry Kost believe they’ve invented the perfect apparatus to accomplish just that: The Bataround.
It doesn’t sound like much: an elongated stainless steel frame, connected to an aviation cable with a batting practice ball bolted to the end. But with one person swinging the device in a circular motion, a little wrist action and the resulting centrifugal force can provide a whole lot of practice cuts for a batter in a short period of time.
In 2001, Chambers took his invention to the Everhart School of Business at the University of the Pacific, where one of the Master’s programs conducts feasibility studies on various products. After thoroughly testing the bataround and analyzing its potential marketability, the students deemed it their favorite invention of the semester.
In the summer of 2006, five years and some $70,000 in research and development later, Chambers and Kost, the engineer behind the bataround, finally put their invention on the market.
Photo by Lodi News.
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