So, I finally got around to building that baseball cage frame I’d been thinking about for a while. My kid’s getting pretty serious with practice, and honestly, I was tired of chasing balls down the street, or worse, worrying about a stray one hitting a window. Figured it was time to tackle it myself.
Getting Started – The Plan (or Lack Thereof)
I didn’t really have a super detailed plan, to be honest. I’m more of a “figure it out as I go” kind of guy. I’d seen a few setups online, got the general idea, and just sort of sketched out some basic dimensions on a piece of scrap paper. Mostly, I knew I needed a big enough box to swing a bat and pitch comfortably.
Gathering the Goods
First stop was the big hardware store. I spent a good hour in the plumbing aisle. I decided to go with metal conduit pipes – the kind electricians use. Seemed sturdy enough and not too crazy expensive. I grabbed a whole bunch of those, in different lengths, though I knew I’d be cutting some down.
Then came the connectors. This was key. I picked up:
- Corner pieces (those 3-way ones)
- T-connectors for the middle supports
- Some straight couplers, just in case
And a pipe cutter, of course. A manual one, nothing fancy. Oh, and a big roll of heavy-duty netting – I ordered that online a week before. And zip ties. Lots and lots of zip ties. You can never have too many zip ties.
The Build – Day One: Frame Up!
I started by clearing a nice flat area in the backyard. Had to move the kids’ inflatable pool, which didn’t go over too well, but sacrifices had to be made. I laid out the base pipes first, just to get the footprint right. Then, I started connecting the vertical posts. This was a bit tricky doing it solo, trying to hold a pipe straight while tightening a connector. I probably looked pretty funny wrestling with those things.
Once the main uprights were sort of in place, I started adding the top horizontal pipes to connect everything. It began to actually look like a frame! I used a small stepladder for the top parts. It was slow going. Measure, cut a pipe, fit it, tighten the set screws on the connectors, step back, squint, adjust. Repeat. My hands were getting sore by the end of the day, but the basic skeleton was up.
The Build – Day Two: Netting and Finishing Touches
Next day, it was time for the netting. This was the part I was dreading a bit. The net was huge and awkward. I unrolled it and started draping it over the frame from one end. This is where those zip ties really came into their own. I began attaching the net to the top bars, then worked my way down the sides. Pulling it snug, but not too tight because I didn’t want it to rip under impact.
It took a while to get it all secured. I used way more zip ties than I thought I would. I went around the whole frame, attaching the net every few inches. Then I trimmed off the excess netting at the bottom with some heavy-duty scissors.
I also decided to add some diagonal bracers in the corners, just some shorter pipes connected with T-fittings, to give it a bit more rigidity. It felt a little wobbly before that, especially when I pushed on it.
The Moment of Truth
Stepped back and looked at it. Not perfectly square, if I’m being honest. A bit of a “rustic” charm, let’s say. But it was standing! The real test was the first few pitches. My kid lobbed a few in, then started throwing harder. The net billowed a bit but held strong. Success! No more chasing balls into Mrs. Henderson’s petunias.
It’s been up for a few weeks now. We’ve had some good wind and rain, and it’s still standing. The kid uses it almost every day. It’s not professional grade by any means, but for a backyard setup, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. Took a weekend, a bit of sweat, but totally worth it. Plus, now I can say “I built that!”
