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January 12, 2026
FOND DU LAC – A new destination for baseball and softball training has arrived in Fond du Lac.
Located at W4506 Lakepark Drive, Swing Zone combines indoor turf, pitching and hitting lanes and modern training tools under one roof.
Built by nine local families with a shared passion for the game, Nick Rusch – one of nine families who share ownership of the facility – said the facility is designed for athletes of all ages.
Featuring five total lanes – including pitching, hitting and dedicated batting lanes – along with modern training technology, Rusch said Swing Zone also offers lessons, camps, parties and space for group and community gatherings, making it a versatile destination beyond the diamond.
Swingin’ to life
Rusch said the idea for Swing Zone began about two years ago when he, his wife and several other Fond du Lac families spent their summers playing baseball together.
The same question, he said, kept surfacing: why did local athletes have to leave the area to train during the offseason?
“We found that families were traveling up to Green Bay, down to Milwaukee to practice, train, hit, pitch and throw,” he said. “So, we thought there was a possibility there could be a market for that here in Fond du Lac.”
A lifelong Fond du Lac resident, Rusch said the concept also drew inspiration from memories of the former Do-It-All Sports Arena – once located just a quarter-mile from Swing Zone’s current site – and a desire to bring a similar indoor sports option back to the community.
“My wife and I knew a lot of families who are baseball/softball-minded, and things developed from there,” he said. “We settled on nine families to be a part [of the project], because it makes voting easier, and there are nine people on a baseball team, too.”
Despite the multitude of delays getting the project off the ground and building up, Rusch said they broke ground in March 2025 and had the soft opening in the middle of November, with the grand opening in early December.
Rusch said he has been involved in baseball since childhood, and several of the other owners bring their own sports experience to the project.
Notably, Ben Stanczyk and Jason Bischoff, he said, played for the Sheboygan A’s and have extensive knowledge in outfield play and pitching.
“This is a passion project of nine local families, all with different backgrounds, but we’re all business people,” Rusch said. “Some are in construction, the financial field, real estate – but along the way, everybody brought, and continues to bring their unique talent to the project.”
The other families involved in the project, he said, include:
- Donahue
- Fritz
- Hoerth
- Johnson
- Jones
- Winkler
Rusch said the facility was built using as many local businesses as possible – everything from HVAC and structure, to plumbing and builders.
“We looked for a year for a structure to house this vision and kept ‘striking out,’” he said. “Several of us live close to this building, and when we heard this land could become available, we knew this was the right time and opportunity to build it to the vision we wanted.”
Rusch said that vision included heated floors, minimal HVAC to prevent balls from hitting equipment, air conditioning for the summer months and garage-style doors that can open to provide extra airflow in spring, summer and fall.
Inside the facility
Rusch said the facility was designed around three core priorities, the first being a large, open space where groups or teams could practice and train together.
The ceilings, he said, soar 18 feet high, and the total turf area spans roughly 4,100 square feet when the lane nets are pushed to the back wall.
Furthermore, Rusch said the space includes three 14-foot-wide lanes specifically designed for pitching and hitting.
The second priority, he said, was dedicated hitting lanes equipped with FungoMan machines, automated systems designed for baseball and softball practice.
“The machine is operated via a kiosk,” he said. “You can choose your speed, location and type of pitch – such as curveball or fastball. You can [also] choose between baseball or softball, and it will throw 15 pitches in one round. It’s a really unique experience when people come here to hit, because it’s not just a batting lane machine.”
Rusch said another advantage of the FungoMan lanes is their downward-sloped floors, which feed balls back into the machines via an elevator system.
This design, he said, reduces downtime, allowing players more repetitions and giving more people the chance to practice.
Rusch said the facility also features a HitTrax simulator, which delivers real-time stats and key performance metrics to enhance training for users.
“What’s cool about HitTrax is you can ‘play’ at any stadium in the major leagues,” he said. “It’ll show the exit velocity, pitch speed, launch angle and several other training elements to help improve your game or just to feel like you’re playing at a stadium. It’s also available for parties.”
The third priority, Rusch said, was creating a comfortable space for families and parents, so they can stay on site while their children practice or train.
“They can come up into our mezzanine, we’ve got TVs linked, they can see the lesson going on below,” he said. “We can also host parties up there where people can bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks.”
Training is a major focus at Swing Zone, and Rusch said the facility is in the process of bringing in additional instructors to expand offerings.
Lessons, he said, are available one-on-one or two-on-one, with two players per instructor, in 60- or 90-minute sessions.
Rusch said instruction covers hitting, pitching, fielding and all other aspects of the game, ensuring each child develops the skills to play any position confidently.
Another aspect of Swing Zone’s training program, Rusch said, is camps, which will run one and a half to two hours and be led by local experts who work directly with the kids.
Making booking easy, he said, was also a top priority for the ownership group, with lanes, groups and camps all reservable online or through the facility’s mobile app.
“With our phone app, it takes 30 seconds to book anything you need,” he said. “It sends a text and an email notification.”
Rusch said lane rentals are priced at $20 for 30 minutes, $40 for 60 minutes and $60 for 90 minutes, with all necessary gear available for use, purchase or personal equipment.
He said multiple membership levels are also available, catering to individuals, families and teams.
“We wanted to separate the two sides for hitting versus fielding in a wide-open turf,” he said. “Teams can come in, and they can just run two hitting lanes if they want, and have people practicing their pitches and throws, too.”
The fun, Rusch said, isn’t limited to teams – noting a father and daughter who turned their visit into a spirited showdown.
“It’s a bonding experience,” he said. “The families are coming in, and except for taking a picture on their phone, there’s not a lot of screen time or scrolling time. Here, it’s more swings than scrolls.”
Expanding the fun further, Rusch said birthday parties and other group events can include activities beyond baseball, such as football, dodgeball and soccer, offering endless options for fun.
Community reactions
Rusch said the community response has been overwhelmingly positive from the start, aided by the fact that the facility’s website, Facebook page and social media channels were ready to answer questions as they arose.
“When the news initially broke, there was an influx of questions: ‘Are you going to have batting cages, ball machines, training and lessons, birthday parties?’ – We have all of the above,” he said. “The community has really come out and embraced it. We’re seeing kids, both boys and girls baseball and softball. We’re seeing older adults who are coming in just for a workout because they haven’t hit in years.”
Rusch said the early winter of 2025 turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“It got people to come in, and the curiosity has really peaked,” he said.
Furthermore, Rusch said the support they’ve received from their marketing partners helped make Swing Zone a reality.
“We call them partners because when we came up with this vision, all the businesses with banners here wanted to be a part of the community vision and signed on immediately,” he said. “They’re also sponsoring some youth nights here where kids will be able to come in and hit for an hour or two.”
Rusch said the closest comparable facility is in Oshkosh, but it doesn’t match Swing Zone in size.
With the next nearest options located in Green Bay and Milwaukee, he said locals of all ages now have a convenient, nearby option.
Reflections, looking ahead
Successful planning, Rusch said, starts with solid data, and before launching, they worked with Envision Greater Fond du Lac to study the market.
The research, he said, consistently indicated that the concept would be well received and continue to grow.
Rusch said that prediction was quickly validated: in the first month alone, nearly 700 people were added to Swing Zone’s database – whether signing up to use the facility or purchasing gift certificates.
Furthermore, Rusch said the data shows that visitors are traveling from as far west as Rosendale and as far south as Pewaukee.
Rusch said the best part of the business so far has been seeing the community come together and watching sponsors, partners and the public genuinely impressed by the facility’s “wow” factor in person.
“You can look at it online, and that’s great, but they come in, and the first words are ‘I had no idea it was going to be like this,’” he said. “We take that as a compliment. No one expects the place to look as big as it is and look as nice as it does.”
Rusch said the facility was intentionally designed to be highly versatile, offering opportunities for all ages, which aligns with their long-term vision.
Even in the short time since opening, Rusch said customers have offered ideas they hadn’t initially anticipated, and with partnerships like those with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and Milwaukee Brewers, the future looks full of possibilities.
“The Brewers saw this building and saw the vision and liked the idea; because of that, we have a partnership with them to bring a camp here in January,” he said. “I see developing more of those partnerships. I see more camps, and I see this being utilized in spring and summer.”Rusch said for him and the other owners, the facility is meant to be a space where kids can enjoy themselves, take the game at their own pace and explore a variety of activities.
For additional details, head to swingzonefdl.com.
