Baseball batting practice tee

Abstract

An apparatus for teaching a baseball or softball player batting fundamentals. The apparatus comprises a base plate, a horizontally-disposed support bracket having baseball tee supports for supporting three telescoping baseball tees. The baseball tee supports are vertically mounted on the support bracket to support the baseball tees in fixed, elevated positions above the home plate area. In a preferred, the support bracket is sized and shaped to position three baseball tees in a vertical plane, such that when balls are simultaneously placed on each of the baseball tees, a batter is permitted to selectively hit any one of three balls, without disturbing either of the two non-selected balls.

1 . An apparatus suitable for teaching a baseball or softball player batting techniques, said apparatus comprising: 
 (a) a base plate capable of resting upon the ground;    (b) three baseball tee supports;    (c) three telescoping baseball tees, each adapted to hold a ball; wherein the size and shape of said telescoping baseball tees are adapted to complement those of said baseball tee supports, such that said telescoping baseball tees are slidably engagable with said baseball tee supports; and    (d) a horizontally-disposed support bracket having a vertical member engagable with said base plate; wherein said horizontally-disposed support bracket is adapted to support said telescoping baseball tees in a vertical position to form a single, vertical plane that extends across said base plate;    wherein:    when balls are simultaneously placed on each of said telescoping baseball tees, three different pitches are simultaneously simulated;    and wherein:    said apparatus is adapted to permit a batter to selectively hit any one of three balls that are simultaneously placed on said baseball tees, without disturbing either of the two non-selected balls.    
   
   
       2 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said horizontally-disposed support bracket is adapted to position the first of said three telescoping baseball tees between about 6 in and about 8 in front said base plate, near the left or right, front inside corner of the defined pitch strike zone, depending on whether the batter is right- or left-handed.  
   
   
       3 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said horizontally-disposed support bracket is adapted to position the second of said three telescoping baseball tees in the middle of said base plate, near the center of the defined pitch strike zone.  
   
   
       4 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said horizontally-disposed support bracket is adapted to position the third of said three telescoping baseball tees near the rear, outside corner of said base plate and the pitch strike zone.  
   
   
       5 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said telescoping baseball tees form a single, vertical plane that extends diagonally across said base plate.  
   
   
       6 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said horizontally-disposed support bracket may be rotated at an angle of approximately 90°, with respect to said base plate, to accommodate right-handed and left-handed batters.  
   
   
       7 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein when three balls are simultaneously placed in each of said telescoping baseball tees, outside, inside, and over-the-middle pitches, with respect to said base plate, may be simultaneously simulated within a defined strike zone.  
   
   
       8 . An apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein when said apparatus is used by a softball or baseball player, the player learns one or more of the following: how to properly control their batting swing angle by adjusting the spacing between their hands and body; how to properly control the orientation of the bat with respect to the body; or how to identify where an outside, inside, or over-the-middle pitched ball should be located, with respect to a home plate, in order to successfully hit a pitched ball.