Professional batting practice harder than it looks
No Prep by Bryan ‘Dub’ Axelson
Maybe this one should be called A Little Prep, because I have swung a baseball bat before. However, I’ve never done it on an actual baseball field and certainly not in a professional facility like SRP Park.
I was really excited to do this week’s Prep. Despite my relative inexperience, I am a huge baseball fan, and I love going to watch our Augusta GreenJackets at SRP Park. Knowing that I was going to get to hit on their field was really cool.
There was a little added pressure, as my wife and 2-year-old daughter were there to cheer me on. I can’t have a poor showing in front of my family. My wife would never let me live that down. She would bust my chops every chance she got if I didn’t at least make some contact out there.
I got to SRP Park, signed my waiver, and then I waited. I was taking my cuts during an end-of-season event the GreenJackets were hosting. That meant there was food to munch on while I waited and, more importantly, cold beer to calm my nerves a little.
Cold beer. This was already my favorite No Prep. Finally, my name was called and off to home plate I went. I picked up my bat and my batting helmet and then I stepped into the batter’s box. Full disclosure, the pitching machine was not set to Major League speed, so I wasn’t swinging at 90 mph heaters. However, I did have to keep my eye on the ball just like the pros.
I was excited, but nervous getting ready to take the first pitch. Would I swing and miss? Would I actually make contact? I remember thinking how much bigger the field looked from behind home plate. It was in this moment that I realized how impressive it actually is when you see someone hit a home run.
I can’t remember how many pitches I took, but I made some pretty decent contact on more than one. Now don’t get me wrong, I whiffed on a few, and I had some pop ups. But there were also several balls that I was able to send into the gap between second and third base. After a swing-and-miss, I found myself really wanting another one. I wanted another opportunity to prove myself. Also, after I made good contact, I wanted another one, because I wanted to do it again! I wanted that rush of seeing the ball in the air over the field.
I was somewhat surprised by the batting practice workout. I was only up there for a few minutes, but afterward I felt like I’d done 20 on the treadmill!
Once I’d taken my last pitch, I went to find my family and see what they thought of the hitting display that Daddy just put on down on the field. My wife was, I think, quite impressed.
“I didn’t even know if you knew how to swing a bat,” she said.
Thanks, babe.
And while my wife was expressing her admiration, my 2-year-old looked for more cookies from the buffet. She was proud too. I could sense it.
I walked out of SRP Park a little taller. I felt a real sense of accomplishment. Of course, I know that I could never do it like the pros, but just feeling like an athlete for a couple of minutes on a random Thursday was all I needed. Big thanks to the GreenJackets staff for the opportunity to make a young man with No Prep a big league hitter, if only for a few minutes.