Building a bullpen area

[Dave619]

As soon as it stops raining and dries out some I am gong to start building a bullpen for DD. She developed a bad habit of walking off the mound recently and I believe it is due to pitching in the grass with nothing to push off from.

I received my mound and home plate in the mail this week. It would be great if some of you could share a bullpen area you built at home. Thanks so much!

 

[FrozenRope]

Put a couple of inches of clay down, especially in front of the rubber and a along the drag foot path, or you'll forever be filling ruts and tamping it to try to compact it. Top dress it up with some infield mix and rake in some rock salt once in a while to prevent weeds from sprouting.

 

[Ken Krause]

I haven't built one myself, but I looked into dressing up a field I use a while back. You might want to bury some clay bricks in the landing area before you put the clay in. That will provide some support for the landing and keep everything from sinking.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about: Mound Clay & Bricks - Sports Field Solutions

 

[JAD]

I guess it depends on how much time and money you want to spend, but in a perfect world, I would take some pressure treated 1"x6" and frame out a rectangle @ 5' x 10'. Works great if you dig out the 6" and recess it to ground level, but that is a lot of work. Put bricks in the bottom then a layer of mound clay on top. Get a tamping tool and a tarp you can use to cover it when not in use. Make sure the rubber is placed correctly to give yourself the proper throwing distance, and you need to be able to adjust the catching plate for 35', 40' and 43'.

 

[Ken B]

On the receiving end, make sure the plate is flush with the surrounding surface and the dirt groomed. Errant drop balls can take some nasty hops off uneven ground!