Spinball Sports, LLC

What is Spinball Sports?
Spinball Sports, LLC is a privately held American sporting goods manufacturer based in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Founded in 2003 by Tom Hart, the company designs and builds pitching machines for baseball and softball training. Its product line includes two-wheel machines, three-wheel machines, the iPitch smart machine, the Spinny Mini, and ball feeder accessories. The company states that over 90 percent of MLB teams have purchased a Spinball machine.

Who owns Spinball Sports?
Spinball Sports is owned by founder Tom Hart through Spinball Sports, LLC. There is no parent company, no private equity backer, and no outside investors. The company received approximately $100,000 through the Capital Innovators accelerator program but is otherwise self-funded. Hart owns and operates the company, handling product design, marketing, finance, and website operations.

Is Spinball Sports publicly traded?
No. Spinball Sports, LLC is a privately held company. It is not listed on any stock exchange and does not file public financial reports. Revenue and employee figures are not publicly disclosed. Tom Hart owns and operates the company independently.

When was Spinball Sports founded?
Spinball Sports began in 2003 as a side project by Tom Hart and a second Boeing engineer. The two had played college baseball and were still playing together in a local recreational league. They started with a simple two-wheel pitching machine. Hart later left Boeing to pursue Spinball full-time after the business gained enough momentum.

Who founded Spinball Sports?
Tom Hart founded Spinball Sports in 2003. Hart is a mechanical engineer who graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1992. Before starting Spinball, he worked at Boeing designing F-15 flight simulators. He holds five patents related to pitching machine design, including the iPitch automated machine. He serves as both CEO and CTO of the company.

Where is Spinball Sports based?
Spinball Sports is headquartered at 900 White Oak Road in Mount Vernon, Illinois, USA. Mount Vernon is a city in southern Illinois, roughly 80 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. All Spinball machines are designed and built at this facility. The company purchased its current lot with room to expand, indicating plans for future growth at the same location.

What is the Spinball iPitch?
The iPitch is Spinball's flagship product. 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. It represents the realization of founder Tom Hart's original vision for a smart pitching machine, conceived when he started the company in 2003. The iPitch positions Spinball in the tech-enabled training equipment category.

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 graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1992 with an engineering degree. Before starting Spinball, he worked at Boeing as a mechanical engineer designing F-15 flight simulators. He has stated that he had been looking for opportunities to start a business since graduation. The pitching machine concept was the first one that worked out, matching his skillset and background in mechanical engineering.

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 company's total sales have exceeded $15 million since founding, according to Hart's LinkedIn profile.

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 from 2003. 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. Hart holds five patents related to pitching machine design, including the iPitch. 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 in St. Louis. The program 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.

The company purchased its current lot in Mount Vernon with room to expand, indicating plans for future growth at the same location. 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.

Spinball Sports does not publish a sustainability report and is not a Certified B Corporation. As a small manufacturer of sports training equipment, the company's environmental footprint is limited relative to large-scale consumer goods producers. The company does not publicly disclose carbon emissions, supply chain audits, or materials sourcing policies.

All Spinball machines are designed and built in the USA at the company's Mount Vernon, Illinois facility. Domestic production reduces shipping distances for US customers and supports local manufacturing employment. The company does not publicly state what percentage of individual components are US-sourced versus imported.

No independent certifications such as Leaping Bunny, PETA, or Fair Trade apply to Spinball products, as these programs typically cover personal care, apparel, and food categories. The company has not faced public scrutiny over environmental or labor practices.

• MLB team adoption: Spinball states that over 90 percent of MLB teams have purchased a Spinball machine, indicating broad adoption at the professional level.
• Capital Innovators graduate: Spinball completed the Capital Innovators startup accelerator program, receiving approximately $100,000 in early-stage funding.
• Patented innovation: Founder Tom Hart holds five patents related to pitching machine design, including the iPitch automated machine.