Hitting a Home Run: How to Launch a Profitable HitTrax League at Your Facility

Running a successful indoor baseball facility is challenging, but according to Mike Santi, owner of Hit Club Baseball Training in the Twin Cities, HitTrax leagues can be the foundation of a high-revenue, high-traffic business.

In his video, Santi shares his six years of experience and the step-by-step process he used to grow his league from 10 teams to over 30, generating about $30,000 in annual league revenue [03:53].

Here is a summary of the key takeaways for getting your own HitTrax league up and running.

1. The Hit Club Model: Success in a Small Space

Santi’s facility, Hit Club, is about 3,800 square feet, featuring two 80-foot tunnels and one 40-foot training tunnel [02:22]. The facility operates unstaffed for members and rentals.

Key Revenue Builder: The leagues are a premium offering. While the standard tunnel rental rate is $60/hour, league teams pay an equivalent of about $80/hour [04:19]. The $850 per team fee covers a nine-week regular season and playoffs [15:26].

2. What You Need to Get Started

Running a league requires more than just the simulator itself. Here’s the essential equipment and setup:

• HitTrax Machine: An absolute necessity, as Santi believes other systems cannot replicate the HitTrax experience [07:01].

• Pitching Machine: Reliable machines, such as the ATEC 3.0, are recommended, as they run reliably for thousands of pitches [07:07].

• Pitch Distance: The pitching machine should be set back at least 40 feet [07:16]. Hit Club uses a 55-foot release point at 50 to 70 mph for adult players [13:31].

• Baseballs: Santi recommends using flat seam baseballs because they have much less wear and tear going through the pitching machine [07:28].

• Prizes: Providing prizes for league winners is important to maintain team interest and competitive spirit [07:42].

3. League Logistics: Run Scoring and Scheduling

The leagues are primarily geared toward adult baseball players, though they can be adapted for any age and are great for kids' birthday parties using the fun gaming module [04:38].

Scheduling and Teams:

• Season Structure: Hit Club runs a smaller November-December league (8 weeks) and a larger January-March league (9 weeks of regular season) [09:09].

• Team Size: Teams generally have between 3 and 8 players, with 4 to 5 being the average attendance for a given game [09:49].

• Doubleheaders: Teams play two games (doubleheaders) during their weekly time slot to make the trip to the facility worth their while [10:00].

Unique Scoring Format:

During the regular season, the league is not a head-to-head competition [10:57]. Instead, the overall standings are based simply on total runs scored throughout all 18 regular season games [11:27].

• Game Mode: All games are played in "high school mode," which is described as a difficult setting where third base and shortstop are "all stars" [11:56].

• The Playoff Funnel: At the end of the regular season, teams are tiered into brackets (AAA, AA, A) based on their total run scoring. The playoffs then transition to an actual head-to-head, best-of-three series format [14:38].

4. Maximizing Engagement and Revenue

Beyond the games themselves, there are optional elements to boost engagement and revenue:

• Live Streaming: Hit Club streams games live on Twitch and YouTube, which creates highlights for players and allows opposing teams to tune in [07:58].

• Birthday Parties: The HitTrax gaming module is a major draw for birthday parties, bringing energy and fun for kids [05:15].

• Taking it on the Road: Hit Club has even been hired to bring their HitTrax setup to events, like one at Target Field, demonstrating another potential revenue stream [05:40].

• High-Touch vs. Low-Touch: While the official Gaming Module tracks individual player stats, Santi recommends the Entertainment Mode for ease of use, especially for a new league, as it requires far less manual setup and tracking [12:41].

5. Challenges and Benefits

While the leagues offer tremendous benefits, there are challenges to anticipate:

Challenge	Solution/Context
Pitching Machine Accuracy	Must be constantly maintained; an inaccurate machine makes the game unfair [17:54].
Foul Tips	HitTrax does not automatically recognize a foul tip, so someone must manually hit "back" to ensure the correct count [18:38].
Cheating Risk	Teams playing solo must be trusted; an unstaffed facility increases this risk [18:53].
Lack of Software	There are very few resources for indoor baseball league management, requiring manual creation of schedules and standings [19:23].

The Overwhelming Benefit: The leagues provide a predictable source of annual revenue and build a large customer base. On league Sundays, Hit Club sees over 130 players come through the facility, who then buy merchandise, beverages, and become future customers for tunnel rentals and training [20:00].

The YouTube video, "HitTrax Leagues- How to get started at your facility," was uploaded by the channel Hit Club Twin Cities.