INDIANAPOLIS — A premier indoor baseball training facility is coming to the westside of Indianapolis and owner Mike Ellis says there’s nothing like it in the area.

Extra Innings will take over the building that formerly housed the 10th Street Sports Center. Ellis calls the state-of-the-art facility a “one stop shop” for training, equipment, custom uniforms, and a full retail store.

Ellis, a Plainfield High School graduate who also played basketball at IUPUI, is behind the transformation to Extra Innings.

“There was a need for something like this on the westside,” he said about transforming his facility to an all-baseball training center. “With basketball, there are a lot of facilities that have come into the area through the past five years, and we decided that it was time to make a change and make something big. I started this potential process over two years ago and researched many different things and the Extra Innings model looked like a great concept.”

Part of that concept includes endorsement and training interaction with those who have played the game at the highest levels.

“We have minor leaguers that are actually coming in here during the off-season and then we have some local minor league players and coaches who will be doing pro instruction,” he said.

One of those is Will Glen, a former professional pitcher with the Florida Marlins and a pitching coach for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, a member of their minor league system.

Ellis stresses that Extra Innings is not just a facility for highly-experienced players. He wants those who are casual players, fans, or those who have not picked up a bat in years to come out and enjoy what the facility offers.

“We will start at tee ball age, so around 5- or 6-year-olds, but we have batting cages and pitching mounds for those who just want to pick up a bat and come hit for the fun of it,” he said.

Still, up-and-coming youths who are into the game and hope to play it at a higher level will appreciate some of the new age technology that will accompany Extra Innings, and Ellis points out that the dichotomy of the serious young athlete has changed over the years.

“They will be able to come in here year round, and in winter time you can’t really do any training without something like this,” he said. “If you want to get to, say, a collegiate level, you need to be practicing year round. There’s been a change in how athletes train. Now, it seems like instead of playing multiple sports in the past, you see younger athletes picking one sport and then trying to play it year round and focus on only that sport.”

There is a particular training tool of interest that Ellis hopes will catch on as well locally as it has with professional players.

“We have all of the training tools you would need, but one machine in particular called the Pro Batter, you’ll see a lot of professional teams using this,” he said. “It sits behind an 8x6-feet projector screen, and when you turn it on, it’s timed with an arm machine to simulate the movement of a pitcher. The ball comes out of the screen and everybody that I’ve brought in has been amazed.”

Ellis said he’s so excited to see the how it can help those interested in the game that he’s offering a grand opening event that will include free usage of the entire facility on Nov. 5.
“We’ll have free usage, food and drinks for everyone, and games and giveaways throughout the day,” he said. “Also, that day you can get free evaluations from the professional instructors.”

Extra Innings Indy West is at 9225 W. 10th St., Indianapolis. For more information, visit the website at extrainnings-indywest.com or call 755-2514.

Bart Doan - CNHI