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home run dugout, a new baseball entertainment venue, is about to open in Katy.Similar in concept to Topgolf, Home Run Dugout has an expected opening date of mid-March and will be in the same complex as other entertainment venues such as Pop music, Andretti’s Indoor Karts and Games, Katie Asia City and Cinemark Theatre.
General manager Colby Smith said the tech-heavy 46,000-square-foot facility will feature 12 batting greens, a full-service restaurant and two bars.
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“Our overall goal is to find a way to socialize baseball and make it more accessible and entertaining to people who aren’t necessarily baseball fans,” Smith said. “We wanted to try and find a way to do something similar to Top Golf and make it less intimidating and make it a social experience.”
The experience, Smith said, is designed around the strike box, which is conceptually similar to a batting cage, but with balls raised from the ground rather than fired at the batter. Once hit, the ball flies into the screen, which in turn stimulates batting around the stadium.
“You hit a ball into the screen, and the overhead sensors take the flight characteristics, direction, speed, etc. of the ball, and then it shows you a simulated flight path of the ball,” Smith explained. “It’s like you’re playing a big video game.”
Smith added that the stadiums in the game can be customized to match any stadium in the country. “You can set it up where you play at Fenway, Minute Maid or Wrigley Field — anywhere you want,” he said.
Each bay can accommodate 8 to 12 batsmen and offers full food and beverage service.
While the main focus of Home Run Dugout is the hitting zone, vice president of business development Jason Borchik believes the venue will be a popular destination for socializing and dining even without games.
“There’s a full-service restaurant and bar, so you can come here and just focus on hitting, but you can also come here to eat and watch sports on our TVs here,” Borchik said.
The facility also features a waffle field. Unlike the bays where reservations are preferred, this field is first come, first served. Adjacent to the venue is a beer garden, where there will be about 10 rotating taps serving local beers, Borchik added.
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“We want to give people options, so they can just have a normal date night and not play baseball, or they can catch up with a bunch of pals and watch the NFL draft, or they can set aside a bay and take a few swings ,” Bolchik said.
Home Run Dugout has a baseball theme throughout. The walls are decorated with the jersey numbers of famous players. Custom cocktails will be named after the baseball, while the food is “inspired by the ballpark,” Smith said.
“You’re going to see a lot of what you’d expect to see in a baseball stadium: hot dogs, hamburgers, wings and nachos, but all of them are elevated to some degree,” he said.
There will also be lighter menu options, Borchik noted. “We want to appeal to a broad audience, so you’ll also see really great salads,” he said.
Katie’s spot was the second home run dugout. The original venue was in Austin. Katy was chosen because of the area’s rapid growth, Smith said.
He added that the decision was strategic as the area is fast becoming the state’s entertainment destination.
“You can see places like Andretti’s and Popstroke here, and that really makes the area an entertainment hub,” Smith said. “We’re lucky to have them as neighbors and we want to see the area become a place where people can come and spend the day and move from one place to another for a full day of entertainment.”
claire.goodman@chron.com
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