The Round Rock Express (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will debut a new amenity at Dell Diamond next season, as Austin-based startup Home Run Dugout will open a sports bar and restaurant facility at the ballpark.
Home Run Dugout offers competitive baseball and softball games for both seasoned veterans and first-time players alike. Using advanced technology and a proprietary ground-up pitching machine, Home Run Dugout is socializing and gamifying the at-bat experience. It was Co-founded by Nick Hermandorfer and Tyler Bambrick in an Austin-area garage.
“Hitting a home run is the greatest feeling any athlete can experience,” Hermandorfer said. “Our mission is to share that experience with as many people as possible in a comfortable and entertaining social atmosphere.”
Unlike traditional batting cages, which require participants to put on sweaty helmets, enter a cage that is isolated from their friends and family, and stand in front of a 70mph fastball, the Home Run Dugout experience eliminates the intimidating factors of batting cages by using an innovate ground-up pitching system. Additionally, spectators can direct pitches to different quadrants of the strike zone, accommodating players of different heights and skill levels. After physically hitting the pitch, players can digitally track the ball’s exit velocity, distance and location in any MLB stadium.
“The partnership with Home Run Dugout will bring another unique and exciting entertainment option to Dell Diamond,” Ryan Sanders Baseball CEO Reese Ryan said. “We strive to provide the best entertainment in Central Texas, so bringing Home Run Dugout to Express fans at Dell Diamond was a no-brainer.”
The state-of-the-art sports bar and restaurant facility will be located within the former Fireball Grill in right field. The project is slated for completion in time for Round Rock Express Opening Day on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.