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Clay Tarbell resigned his position as a business manager with the North Polk Community School District in August to open a business east of Des Moines.

“We saw a need on the east side of town and the eastern suburbs,” Tarbell said of his vision for The Batter’s Box, a 17,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Hill, where baseball lovers of all ages can hone their skills.

The start-up business, which opened Oct. 10, includes six coin-operated batting cages, complete with Iron Mike pitching machines; four batting and pitching practice tunnels; a portable softball pitching machine that can throw sinkers, risers, curveballs and fastballs; and an indoor practice field. Tarbell also hopes to accommodate baseball, softball and soccer leagues on the 5,000-square-foot field, surrounded on three sides by half-inch tempered glass, in the near future.

Before The Batter’s Box opened, Tarbell said, people in the eastern suburbs had to drive to Urbandale’s Grand Slam USA or PS Sports Zone in Johnston to find similar amenities.

“We’ve got a lot of kids that are involved in baseball and softball,” from school districts such as Des Moines, Southeast Polk and Bondurant-Farrar, Tarbell said, adding that he has heard from people as far away as Newton who are looking forward to a shorter drive. “We have a lot of schools over here that can take advantage of this,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some people from Pella in here, too.”

He also envisions The Batter’s Box as a hub for U.S. Specialty Sports Association baseball and softball and other tournament teams. “They don’t really have a place to call their own,” he said.

“It’s about time we have something on this side of town,” Tarbell said. “I think it will be a big benefit to the tournament teams in the area.”

Brown & Billings Commercial Real Estate Services represented Tarbell in locating the space north of University Avenue at 1300 Metro East Drive.

Initially, Tarbell said, The Batter’s Box will be run with a family business model. But once the weather cools and business picks up, he plans to hire three to five employees.

The Batter’s Box will be open Monday to Friday from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.