Academy Prep, for hitters aged 10 to 12. Same cage, same coach and the same work as every rung above it — on the afternoons that suit a younger hitter’s week, in groups small enough that nobody stands around waiting for a turn.
Prep is the first rung on the Academy ladder. From 13 a hitter can move up into Academy proper and books the Academy hours instead — it is the same ladder, not a different program, and moving up takes nothing more than a word with Marcus.
Four one-hour sessions an afternoon, the last starting at 5:30. These are Academy hours that Prep athletes can book — one calendar, with the afternoon open to 10–12s and the evening from 6:30 for Academy. A Prep athlete books the afternoon; the evening hours are for 13 and up. Book week to week on the portal schedule, up to the date Marcus has the calendar open to.
| Once a week | Sessions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | 4 | $132 |
| Quarterly | 12 | $374 |
| Annual | 48 | $1,331 |
| Twice a week | Sessions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | 8 | $210 |
| Quarterly | 24 | $598 |
| Annual | 96 | $1,997 |
| Unlimited | Sessions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Annual only | As many as you book | $2,615 Sold out |
Unlimited is full and is not reopening. That is a limit on how many hitters fit in the cage at once, not a price — so it does not come back, this season or next. Once a week and twice a week are both open.
A full year started part-way through the season costs the days that are left. The instruction year runs to 15 August and the sessions a membership buys run out on that date, so joining in October buys about ten months of it and carries about ten months of the sessions. The Annual card on the Academy page shows the exact number for today — it goes down a little every day the season runs on. It then renews the following 16 August at the full year's price. Monthly and quarterly are the same price whenever you join.
The $125 a year is not an extra charge for Prep. It is the same yearly fee every Academy membership carries apart from Unlimited Annual, where it is already built into the price. If you are paying it on another plan, you are not paying it twice.
It covers the Blast sensor the program runs on, and it renews twelve months from the day you first pay it — not on a fixed date in the calendar. It is not negotiable and it is not optional.
A plan gives you a number of sessions and you book them on the portal schedule, week by week, whichever Prep hours suit you. They are not tied to one day and they do not have to be the same hour each week.
Each hour starts with three seats and the schedule shows how many are left. Cancel in time and the session goes back on your balance; cancel late and it does not, which is the same rule every Academy membership runs on.
Apply on the in-person application. It is the same form every in-cage membership uses — pick Academy Prep and the plan you want. There is no separate Prep form.
Nothing is charged when you apply. There is no card step on the form. Once Marcus has reviewed your application he emails you your membership offer, you pay through it, and your sessions are on your account as soon as the payment goes through.
Mostly the age. Prep is ten to twelve and Academy is thirteen to eighteen, so the two meet without overlapping. A birthday on its own does not move anybody — nothing in the portal checks an age, and which tier a hitter is in is Marcus’s call with you, so a hitter turning thirteen mid-membership is not pushed anywhere. It is one calendar either way: a Prep hitter books the afternoon hours, 2:30 to 6:30, and the evenings from 6:30 are for thirteen and up. An older hitter can book an afternoon hour too. If your hitter is anywhere near the line, ask Marcus rather than guessing; he will tell you straight.