Who Owns Hack Attack?

Sports Attack was founded in 1995 in Reno, Nevada. The company's first products were volleyball training machines, not baseball equipment. Doug Boehner, the lead design engineer, had prior experience in the pitching machine industry that predated the company itself. According to the company's own account, its design and manufacturing team's roots go back more than 50 years, to the earliest wheel-driven pitching machines in baseball.

The company started in a 1,000 square-foot warehouse. From there, the founders expanded into additional sports. The key moment came in 2000, when Sports Attack launched the Hack Attack pitching machine. The Hack Attack introduced a three-wheel design to the baseball market. At the time, most pitching machines used one or two wheels. The third wheel allowed hitters to see the ball clearly throughout the entire feeding motion, acceleration, and release, mimicking the visual experience of facing a live pitcher. This unobstructed view addressed a long-standing problem: two-wheel machines blocked the ball at the release point, making timing difficult.

The three-wheel design also changed how breaking pitches were thrown. On a two-wheel machine, switching between fastballs and curveballs, or between right-handed and left-handed breaking pitches, required physically adjusting the throwing head. The Hack Attack eliminated that step. Coaches could change pitch type by turning three separate speed dials, each controlling one wheel. This made it possible to alternate pitch types quickly during batting practice.

The full-size Hack Attack Baseball machine throws pitches at speeds up to 100 mph and is compatible with regulation leather baseballs. It handles fastballs, right- and left-handed curveballs, sliders, split-finger pitches, and knuckleballs. Sports Attack later developed a softball version with a release angle and speed range suited to fastpitch training.

In 2016, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported that Sports Attack had roughly 27 employees and shipped equipment globally from its Verdi manufacturing plant. Dozens of the company's machines were in use at Major League Baseball training facilities. The company had also expanded beyond baseball and softball into football (Snap Attack, Aerial Attack), volleyball (Smash Attack, Total Attack, Skill Attack), soccer (Strike Attack, Lil' Strike Attack), rugby (Drop Attack), and cricket (Crick Attack).

The Junior Hack Attack, a smaller and lighter version of the full-size machine, targeted youth leagues and travel teams. It weighs 75 pounds, throws at speeds from 35 to 70-plus mph (simulating 90-plus mph from a closer distance), and uses the same three-wheel design as the full-size model. It comes with a five-year warranty for commercial and residential use.

Sports Attack later introduced the I-Hack Attack, an indoor version designed for cage use, and the Elite eHack Attack, a top-tier model with additional features. The product line now spans four tiers: Junior Hack Attack, Hack Attack, I-Hack Attack, and Elite eHack Attack, each available in baseball and softball configurations.

The December 2025 acquisition by Sound Growth Partners marked the first ownership change in the company's history. SGP indicated that the founder-owners would remain involved during the transition and that the company's Nevada manufacturing operations would continue.