Cages on 6, Mohegan Lake
Photo credit: Neal Rentz
With ice and snow on the ground, winter would not seem to be an appropriate time for young baseball and softball players to work on their swings.
But with the opening of Cages on 6 in the Cortlandt Town Center on Route 6 in late December, the youth of the northern Westchester and Putnam areas can have access to batting cages year-round.
Cortlandt resident Edwin Feliciano is the owner of the new family business. He said last week the facility offers a 70-foot batting cage and a 60-foot batting cage. The cages can accommodate Little League, high school and recreational league players, he said.
“We’re here to serve the community,” he said. “I see a big need in the community for kids to have a place to go and hone their craft.”
“We partnered with our landlord and our community really to make this happen,” Feliciano said. “Our landlord, to his credit, had really stepped up to the plate. He gave us an opportunity to secure a space in a convenient location for families to bring their kids. From a space perspective it is really, really conveniently. It’s centrally located. And more importantly, it’s a family-friendly atmosphere.”
“This is a business in the community for the community,” Feliciano added. “If someone wants to hit and needs a place to hone their craft and can’t (pay), we welcome them with open arms at no charge.”
Many of the youths who use the Cages on 6 facilities live in Cortlandt and Mahopac and some attend Lakeland School District schools, Feliciano said.
Though Feliciano said he is willing to rent his facility to teams, “this is more about families and individuals working on their own craft. You will hear almost any coach say we can teach you a little bit while you’re at team practice but what really makes a difference is what you do when you’re on your own. This is a location to take advantage of that.”
Feliciano said there are gyms in the local area where you can lift weights and hire a coach work with you. “What you don’t find a lot of is spaces where you can come and work on your own craft by yourself or with you friends and have a good time while honing a skill that you love,” he said.
Batters can hit off a tee or use pitching machines at Cages on 6, Feliciano said. “We prefer to have kids hit off a tee and just work on mechanics,” he said. “Working on those in a controlled environment gives you the best outcome.”
Cages on 6 is intended for boys and girls from age seven to college ages, Feliciano said.
Feliciano laid out his goals for his new business. “My goal is to have the community take advantage of the space,” Feliciano said. “The idea here is really about creating an environment that’s safe and controlled for people to come and work on the sports of baseball and softball.”
“But my biggest goal for the business is to do a drive for Pitch in for Baseball, which is about collecting gently used equipment that we will then donate,” Feliciano said. “They take this gently used equipment and donate it to underprivileged communities throughout North America and Latin America.”
Cages on 6 is located at 3081 E. Main St. (Route 6) in the Cortlandt Town Center shopping center in Mohegan Lake, next to Panera. For more information, call 914-847-6905 or send an e-mail to cageson6@gmail.com.
