Former college baseball player Jim Squires said he brought Blueberry Batting Cages to north Houston in March to provide a safe and affordable place for baseball and softball players to practice.

The backstory

Squires began playing baseball when he was about 5 years old, and he continued to play throughout college and into his adult years. He played baseball for Portland State University and earned an advertising degree from Texas State University.

After working in the oil and gas industry, Squires said he decided to merge his two passions—baseball and marketing—and start his own business.

Squires said he chose the location of Blueberry Batting Cages because there were limited batting cages in the area, and he wanted to bring something valuable to the community.


The details

Blueberry Batting Cages offers token-operated baseball and softball automatic pitching machines, practice cage rentals, and baseball and softball lessons.

Along with high-quality automatic machines and real baseballs and softballs, Squires said the batting cage offers competitive pricing. Starting at $3 for one token and $27.50 for 10, guests receive 14 pitches per token.

Blueberry Batting Cages also offers cage rentals for 30 minutes to an hour as well as lessons. Squires specializes in baseball and softball lessons in beginner and intermediate levels.


Squires said each batting cage at Blueberry Batting Cages includes a bucket of practice baseballs or softballs, a protective screen, a batting tee and a radar gun. Automatic pitching machines can be adjusted to three different speeds ranging from 40-70 miles per hour.

While children and beginners are recommended to practice at a 40 mph rate, more highly skilled players can practice at a 70 mph rate.

Who it's for

Squires said the batting cage has been a useful space for local high school baseball teams as well as Little League softball and baseball teams. Along with a safe place to practice softball and baseball, Squires said he hopes to collaborate with local businesses to provide an affordable practice space for Little League teams in the future.