A Most Incredible Friday Morning Visit To Home Run Dugout, Katy

Since returning from my work trip to Houston for ABF Freight, I have been writing and sharing my baseball experiences from my time there. I worked nights in Houston, so I had morning opportunities to check out parks, stadiums, university baseball fields, tournament baseball complexes, and I have to say – H-town is rich in baseball places to see. As I was doing my research online and via Google Maps last week, I found an interesting baseball field attached to what appeared to be a warehouse or store in nearby Katy, Texas. I dug a little bit further, found a website, found social media pages, and found an absolute highlight reel of amazing baseball experiences in one place. One place I had to visit while I was in Houston, given those two elements that make experience possible – timing and opportunity. That place, and wow what a place it is, is called Home Run Dugout.

I began early in the week connecting with JC Santini, Director of Brand & Marketing for Home Run Dugout, with a series of emails introducing myself, my purpose for the visit, and some times that would work for my schedule. I needed to be at work, no questions asked, during the times I was slotted for, so mornings would work best for me. After a few days of communication, JC and I settled on an 11am time on Friday for me to come out to the Katy, Texas location and meet up with Home Run Dugout, Katy General Manager Micaela Ramirez. Timing and opportunity boxes checked, it was time for me to head out to Katy Friday morning to check out this unique baseball experience called Home Run Dugout.

Friday morning, I got ready and decided to hit the road to Katy rather early. Excited does not begin to explain how excited I was to experience and document my time at Home Run Dugout. Because I was hours ahead of schedule, I did stop in at Baseball USA about halfway to Katy and wow, am I the better for doing that. You can read about my visit to Baseball USA aka The Yard here. And even with the stop at the Yard, I was still way ahead of my 11am schedule visit time when I arrived in the Home Run Dugout parking lot at 1220 Grand W Blvd. there in Katy. So, I thought I might take a few photos of the perimeter and try to connect with Micaela at some point in the next half hour.

From my vantage point at the front opening of Home Run Dugout, I could see staffers preparing tables, cleaning the bar area, having meetings, and general restaurant preparedness you would expect before the doors are to open. Having never met Micaela, I wasn’t sure if one of these busy restaurant-ers was her. After all, it was 1030am and I was still a ridiculous half hour early for my 11am meeting. “Can I help you,” asked a woman approaching the locked gate at the front entrance. ‘Yes, I am super early to be here but happy to be here. I’m looking for Micaela (I think JC referred to her as Mikki).’ “That’s me, I’m Micaela, we’ve been expecting you,” was the warm greeting by General Manager Micaela Ramirez, who then opened the gate for me to enter and start my Home Run Dugout experience.

The natural lighting, the cleanliness, the outdoor seating, the large scoreboard, the baseball diamond, the baseball hitting bays, the TVs, the giant TV, the comfortable walking lanes, staff saying hi and welcome, baseball bats hanging up, the place set up like a photo shoot on a movie set with just about every detail fulfilled to the nth degree. I was dazed like a brush back pitch taking those first few steps into Home Run Dugout. Micaela started the tour in this main seating area and from the jump, it was clear she was very good at her job and loved what she did.

She started with the concept of the baseball bays. The baseball bay sections at Home Run Dugout are where you and your party can relax, have some great food and refreshments, and have some baseball fun as a fan cheering or as a hitter. The baseball bays consist of a kiosk for player sign in and to customize their experience, a large projector screen where the field of your choice (via the kiosk customization) would appear, a row of baseball bats to choose from, a home plate, and a feeder that pops up a baseball for you to hit onto the screen. Picture a soft toss station at your local baseball field, with a coach or fellow player lobbing you a baseball to hit, which helps improve your swing. Here, the automatic feeder serves as the soft toss person, so your only job is to keep your eye on the ball and then clobber it into the screen. Then, check the screen to see how far you hit and where it landed. What a concept it is.

Micaela guided me through several rooms and sections of Home Run Dugout that provided different customer experiences. There were sections that had fewer baseball bays, which would work well for a corporate function, private party, smaller sized party situation. There were larger open areas with full bar, tons of seating, and tons of baseball bays lined up (almost like a bowling alley) where large crowds could gather, maybe an entire league or school function or conference attendees. I got the feeling from Micaela that whether your party was 2 or 200, Home Run Dugout had the solution for you. Again, I was blown away by the lighting, the cleanliness, every single staff person said hello, and the TVs and tables, and…let’s just say I was floating in baseball happiness.

So, what kind of baseball do you hit? Good question, I snapped a photo of this one to show you. It is a foam baseball about the size of a smaller softball. It is bright yellow, so you can’t miss it, no pun intended. The foam consistency helps reduce damage on the screen, the bays, etc. etc. so once again, Home Run Dugout has thought of everything.

What about rules inside the facility? Check out “The Unwritten Rules of Home Run Dugout” that I found inside the large baseball bay section. One at a time, no bat flips, no cleats in the bays, swing for the fences – all seems pretty reasonable!

After walking me through the baseball bay sections at Home Run Dugout, Micaela invited me to take a tour of the perimeter of the baseball field, the concert stage (yes they have that too!), and the general seating areas of the exterior. It was Friday and the business of Home Run Dugout was about to become reality, so I was so appreciative of Micaela’s time and generosity in accommodating me. She departed our tour and I mentioned that I would connect with her before I left. Then, I set out and walked the perimeter of the field and seating area to grab these photos.

I will try my best to convey what I saw but I encourage you, no I implore you to go to Home Run Dugout and see it for yourself. The incredible outdoor bar area with beautiful natural lighting and the TVs, that would settle it for me right there. But there is so much more. The concert stage located just off the first base foul line of the baseball diamond is so cool. Then, there is the baseball diamond, which is used for Wiffle Ball games and Kick Ball games. Fans can sit comfortably behind home plate or in comfy chairs out in left field near the giant Home Run Dugout scoreboard. You can sit in the shade, you can sit in the sun, you can sit or stand or stool up at the bar or near the baseball diamond. Every cool detail that could be thought of is a reality at Home Run Dugout. What activities can you find at Home Run Dugout? I’m glad you asked…

As my time was nearing an end at Home Run Dugout, one last surprise awaited me as Micaela rejoined me in the main lobby section. She went over to one of the baseball bays, tapped on the kiosk, entered my name and asked me what field I wanted to hit at. ‘Fenway Park, of course’ I stated and within a few seconds, I was up in a baseball bay at Home Run Dugout about to hit at Fenway Park. Baseball has this really cool way of making me feel like a kid again. I looked up at my name and saw the park that I have visited 100 times in my lifetime in person and with my family, and still got baseball goosebumps just standing there. What an awesome way to end my visit to Home Run Dugout.

Home Run Dugout was the absolute highlight of all of the Houston baseball places I visited this past month. I was in Houston twice over the past 30 days or so and visited numerous baseball fields at colleges and universities and recreational parks. I walked the perimeter of Daikin Park one day, then attended a night game another day to see RIHS’s Jeremy Peña and LAA’s Mike Trout. I met up with Jordan Venable of Marucci Elite Houston and walked the grounds at Baseball USA. But my time at Home Run Dugout was so special. Micaela Ramirez, you are a fantastic representative of your company and your brand. I thoroughly enjoyed the guided tour and the baseball chat and learning all about the Home Run Dugout experience from someone who is truly passionate about her work. Big thanks to JC Santini as well for accommodating my schedule and allowing this baseball fan to be a part of your incredible baseball and entertainment experience. Overall, Home Run Dugout was one of the best baseball experiences I have ever had the timing and opportunity to be a part of.

If you live in the Houston area, heck if you live in Texas, you have to check out Home Run Dugout. They have a few more locations now and more planned for the future. Book a birthday party, book a corporate outing, call up that friend who needs a good laugh, or text that person you have been dying to ask out for a date. Once you are in the door, trust me, you will not be disappointed. If you need a contact at the Katy location, here is Micaela’s card and contact information: