Baseball, softball, cricket, and
combination versions available
Throws real balls or dimpled machine
balls
Rugged steel frame but weighs just 58
lbs (baseball version)
(2) 1/4 hp custom motors with
oversized stainless steel shafts
All stainless steel fasteners
Tough powder coat finish
Five year warranty
Made entirely in the USA
No sales tax outside of Illinois
Free Fedex Ground shipping to the
continental USA
Combination
(Big Unit & SB)
Combination
(BB & SB)
Baseball
Softball
Big Unit /
Cricket
$1599
$1499
$1399
$1399
$1499
Current lead time for machines: 2-3 business days
"We're very impressed with the Spinball
pitching machine. It does everything we need a machine to do and it's
as accurate as any we've used. Add the convenience of being so light
and the great price, and it's easily our new favorite."
-- Evan Pratte, Director of Baseball Operations, University of Missouri
"We first became aware of the
Spinball product through the flyer that was mailed in the fall of 2010.
After having an opportunity to see the machine in person at the
American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Nashville I was
very impressed with the design of the machine and its portability. We
purchased the machine on the spot, and now after nearly two months of
using the machine every day we are very happy with its performance. The
lightweight design makes it easy to move the machine around the field
and it is very accurate. We use Spinball every day as part of our
practice routine!"
-- Chris Pollard, Head Baseball Coach, Appalachian State University
"I would fully recommend the
COMBO SPINBALL WIZARD to any team at any level...For Lindbergh Baseball
and Softball the machine has proven to be a valuable asset with its
versatility and dependability. We have used JUGS and ATEC in the past
and this machine is more reliable and able to be used more efficiently.
I am very impressed the ability to throw a variety of pitches for both
baseball and softball. This will not be the last SPINBALL product we
acquire at Lindbergh!"
-- Darin Scott, Head Baseball & Softball Coach, Lindbergh High
School, St. Louis, MO
The Spinball Wizard
features a versatile design that allows the same basic machine to be
used for baseball, softball, and cricket. Three available sets of legs
create three different release heights: 24" for softball, 48" for
baseball, and 48-80" (adjustable) for the Big Unit. The Big Unit
provides the most realistic baseball release height available, and is
also the preferred machine for cricket use. The single adjustment clamp
makes setup quick and easy- all three angles (horizontal, vertical, and
twist) are set at once, and won't shake loose under vibration. The
machine can be rotated to throw pitches from any angle to simulate
right or left handed pitchers as well as throwing grounders and fly
balls. Don't let the price fool you- it's a real machine that throws
real balls really fast.
Flexibility - Every machine starts out as a combination
machine. The only differences between the baseball, softball, and
cricket machines are the legs and the ball feeder tubes. Single use
machines can easily be upgraded to combination machines later by
purchasing the appropriate upgrade kit. The motors are mounted on slots
for changing the distance between wheels. This design allows for major
adjustments between baseball and softball use as well as for minor
corrections for wheel tread wear and ball hardness.
Top Quality Wheels - Spinball wheel tread is thicker and
more durable than other brands. ATEC's profiled wheel tread is only
3/8" thick at the center. BATA wheels are rubber, not urethane.
Spinball wheels are 1" thick top grade urethane for better pitch
accuracy and longer wheel life. Jugs uses Chinese made pneumatic wheels
that are almost impossible to keep balanced because they change shape
at different speeds from centrifugal force. The imbalanced rubber tire
expands, but the balance weights on the steel wheel don't move, so the
wheel becomes unbalanced. They also tend to leak air and gloss over
from use, reducing grip and therefore accuracy and speed. (They suggest
using sandpaper when this happens.) Our original machines used these
much cheaper wheels, and once we made the switch to our new design, we
never looked back.
Leg Installation: Spinball legs easily slide into the
sockets on the machine base and a spring loaded button locks them in
place. Baseball and softball legs can be swapped in just seconds.
Ball and Socket Adjustment Mechanism - All three axes are
set at once - horizontal, vertical, and twist. Adjustment is quick,
easy, and won't shake loose under vibration. The simplicity of this
frame design reduces machine weight significantly.
Independent wheel speed controls - Each wheel's speed is
set independently for infinite adjustability of pitch speed and break.
Speed setting is shown directly on the control box. Digital readouts
add complexity and cost without improving accuracy.
Throws any pitch from any angle - A thrown ball curves in
the direction of its spin. The faster the spin, the more it curves.
Fastballs have backspin, which cause them to rise, or at least fall
slower than they otherwise would. Sinkers and curves have topspin,
causing them to drop. Knuckleballs ideally have no spin at all and move
randomly. By adjusting the wheel speeds and the angle of the machine,
the Spinball Wizard can be set to spin the ball in any direction to
simulate virtually any pitch.
What about the slider? A slider spins around an axis
nearly parallel to its direction of travel, like a football thrown with
a spiral. The resulting break is similar to a 3/4 curve, but sharper.
None of the leading machines actually throws a slider, although they
all make the claim, because to throw it, the machine's wheels would
have to pivot into different planes like a football machine. For most
hitters, a fast 3/4 curve is a close approximation, and that's what we
(and all of the leading machines) do. At least we're honest about it.
