'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' — Inside?

Baseball and softball players in Dublin are no longer at the mercy of Mother Nature, thanks to a new business in town.

On Deck Sports Academy is an indoor facility where players can work on their hitting, catching and pitching.

The facility was started by baseball coaches John Fisher and Mark Saake, and offers a location for players and teams to practice, in addition to lessons and training camps.

“It came up because of a lack of light,” Saake said. “Or sometimes the sun is in your eyes, or there is nasty weather outside, but the kids still need a place to train.”

The two met at a clinic for Dublin Little League and decided that the area needed an indoor training facility.

“We have classes,” Fisher said. “That’s an area we’d really like to expand in. Get the kids in a hitting class or a pitching class.”

The business partners opened the facility five weeks ago and said that feedback has been very positive. They said they put a lot of effort into designing the facility to meet the needs of athletes and their parents.

A lounge area allows parents to watch their children practice  safely, thanks to a plexiglas window.

There is also free wireless Internet for those in the lounge area who want to get some work done while waiting for a class to end.

On Deck Sports Academy features an infield with artificial turf. There also are pitching mounds and batting cages.

Players and coaches can select from several pitching machines with a setting for each skill level. The machines can send a variety of pitches, changing the speed and even throwing curveballs.

After seeing how popular the batting area was with softball players, Fisher and Saake added a pitching machine just for softballs.

“Softball is going to be our next big expansion here,” Fisher said. “We’ve had a few softball teams in, but we’re gonna start them on softball instruction.”

The goal is to offer lessons, classes and camps for softball players, as well.

Baseball and softball players often need a place to practice when weather or sunlight create difficult training conditions, which is why Fisher and Saake are excited about their business.

They said there is even more of a need for such a facility during baseball's off season — November to March — when the weather is cold and the sun sets early.

“They can come in and work on all their skills, they can stay fresh in the off season or during the non-peak season,” Saake said.

“That way, when the baseball season does roll around in full swing, they’re not starting from scratch again. They’ve already kept those skills sharp.”

On Deck Sports Academy is at 6761 Sierra Court, Suite B. For more information, click here.