ProNine OL8 Mini Training Baseballs - 8 Inch 5 oz - Dozen
The ProNine OL8 is the bigger of ProNine's two mini training baseballs: an 8 inch, 5 oz baseball with a raised seam, leather cover, and cushioned composite center. It is not a 9 inch regulation ball, and that is the point: a smaller target sharpens the eye for hitting and fielding work. Sold by the dozen.
Why Train With a Mini Ball
Shrink the ball and every rep asks more of the player. Hitters have to track a smaller flight and center a smaller sweet spot, and fielders have to watch the ball all the way into the glove. ProNine calls this a great training ball for hitting or fielding, and the dozen pack means the whole team drills with the same ball. ProNine builds the OL8 to the same weight as a regular size baseball, so the swing feedback transfers directly when players go back to the 9 inch ball.
Real-Ball Construction, Reduced Scale
Plenty of small training balls are foam or plastic. The OL8 is built like the real thing: leather cover for genuine grip and feel, raised seam so fingers find the same reference points they use on a game ball, and a cushioned composite center that stands up to daily use.
Where It Fits
The ProNine OL7.5 mini training baseballs are the 7.5 inch, 3.5 oz version for a smaller, lighter target. For hand-eye work with a different flavor of difficulty, the React reaction ball bounces unpredictably instead of shrinking the target. The rest of the drill wall lives in the training balls collection.
ProNine OL8 Specifications
- Size: 8 inch
- Sold as: Dozen
- Weight: 5 oz each
- Seam: Raised Seam
- Cover: Leather
- Center: Cushioned Composite
- Great training ball for hitting or fielding
- Not a 9 inch regulation size ball
Is this a regulation baseball?
No. It is an 8 inch training ball; regulation baseballs are 9 inches. Mini balls are training tools for contact and tracking drills, not game balls.
Which size should we get?
The 7.5 inch ball is the harder drill: smaller and lighter. The 8 inch ball keeps regulation weight, so throwing and hitting feel closer to the real ball. Many programs run the small ball for vision work and the 8 inch for everything else.