US Patent 7914400 Baseball practice systems

Baseball practice systems are provided. In this regard, a representative baseball practice system includes: a backstop; a ball; a suspension assembly operative to suspend the ball in a strike zone, the suspension assembly having a first cantilevered arm and a damping assembly, the damping assembly being operative to damp motions of the ball as the ball returns to a rest position after having been struck, the cantilevered arm supporting a portion of the damping assembly; and a tether assembly comprising at least one line operative to assist in establishing the rest position of the ball.