KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) - Home Run Dugout is the baseball version of Top Golf, combining sports, food, and entertainment in one location. The company’s second location opens in Katy on Tuesday, March 30, near Asian Town at 1220 Grand West Boulevard.
The entertainment venue gives new life to old-school batting cages. It features 12 virtual batting bays, soft-toss baseball, a Biergarten Baseball mini-field for wiffle ball, a full-service restaurant, a dog park, and a stage for live music.
Billed as “Home of the 7 MPH Fastball,” designers want to attract the general public, regardless of baseball talent.
Pitching machines have slowball settings, so any baseball level can enjoy the facility and experience hitting home runs in their favorite virtual baseball stadiums, from Minute Maid park to Wrigley Field and Fenway Park.
Nick Hermandorfer, the self-proclaimed “number one drafted little leaguer in all of Texas,” and Tyler “Bam Bam” Bambrick founded the business. Nick was finishing business school at UT, and Tyler was wrapping up five years in the military when they began thinking about the concept.
“The venue is designed to give you the same feeling of walking into a Major League Baseball stadium,” Hermandorfer told Front Office Sports. “That concourse experience where as soon as you walk in the gate, you get your ticket scanned and you can smell the concessions in the air and see people playing on the field.”
A night out at Home Run Dugout will cost about $30 per person for a 90-minute experience. Food and adult beverages are extra.
It’s near several other popular businesses, including Popstroke, Andretti's Indoor Karting & Games, and Cinemark Theaters.
Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan is an investor in Home Run Dugout.
Katy is Home Run Dugout’s first stand-alone location. The original location is Dell Diamond, the minor league home of the Round Rock Express, which Ryan, his son, and other investors own.
Home Run Dugout has reportedly raised $10 million in financing.
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A rendering of Home Run Dugout.
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A look inside of Home Run Dugout.