Who Owns Spinball Sports?

Spinball began in 2003 as a side project. Tom Hart and a second Boeing engineer, both former college baseball players still playing together in a local recreational league, started building a simple two-wheel pitching machine. The initial goal was modest: build a basic machine for their own use. From the start, however, Hart had a larger vision. He wanted to build a fully automated smart machine that could be controlled digitally, an idea that would eventually become the iPitch.

Hart formed the company around that first basic two-wheel machine. For the first couple of years, Spinball operated as a side business while Hart kept his job at Boeing. After building enough momentum, he left Boeing to pursue Spinball full-time. He has described working 60-plus hours per week, splitting his time between CEO and CTO duties.

The early product line centered on the two-wheel machine, which offered a value-priced alternative to established brands like JUGS and Hack Attack. The two-wheel design is simpler and less expensive to manufacture than three-wheel designs. It appeals to high school programs, small colleges, batting cage facilities, and individual buyers who want a functional machine without premium pricing.

Spinball later expanded into three-wheel machines. The Spinball 3 Wheel model added the visual clarity and pitch variety that three-wheel designs provide, positioning the company more directly against Hack Attack and the JUGS BP3. The three-wheel model gave Spinball a product at a higher price point while maintaining the company's value-oriented positioning relative to premium competitors.

The iPitch, Spinball's flagship product, represents the realization of Hart's original vision. It is a fully automated pitching machine controlled by a smartphone or tablet. The iPitch allows coaches to program pitch sequences, adjust speeds and locations digitally, and track performance data. This places Spinball in the smart training equipment category, alongside connected devices from newer entrants in the sports technology space.

The company also produces the Spinny Mini, a compact machine for limited-space environments, and accessories including the Barrel Ball Feeder and Turret Ball Feeder for automated ball feeding.

Spinball went through the Capital Innovators accelerator program, which provided early-stage support and approximately $100,000 in funding. Hart has cited the program as helpful in building the business. The company also established a partnership with Rawlings, the sporting goods brand, though details of that relationship have not been extensively publicized.

As of 2026, Spinball Sports has been in business for over 20 years. The company states that over 90 percent of MLB teams have purchased a Spinball machine. Its customer base includes colleges, high schools, batting cage facilities, and individual buyers. All Spinball machines are designed and built in the USA at the company's Mount Vernon, Illinois facility.