October 15, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
It’s going to be the most technologically advanced batting facility in Canada.
That’s what Shane Heyworth’s goal is for “The Den,” a state-of-the art facility set to open near Henning Park in Caledonia, Ont., in November.
And it would be foolish to doubt Heyworth.
On top of his deep passion for baseball, he has been building successful businesses since he was 14. The now 34-year-old Heyworth, a web developer by trade and co-owner of TeamGear.ca, is also a tech wizard.
“Anything that helps grow the sport of baseball has always been a driving force for me,” said Heyworth. “What’s nice about a batting facility is that there are a lot of opportunities to integrate technology, which is my specialty. And second of all, what really made me press go on this project was the location.”
The building is a stone’s throw from Henning Park, a baseball complex near and dear to Heyworth’s heart. He has been playing and organizing leagues there for eight years and has served on its executive for the past seven. He is also one of the park’s biggest financial backers.
“When you’re on Diamond 5 at Henning Park, you can see the red roof of this building and I’d been staring at for five years and it had been on the market the whole time,” said Heyworth.
The building was home to a cabinetry business when Heyworth approached the landlord last November. Once inside, he fell in love with its high ceilings and the fact that it had no pillars that would obstruct baseball activities.
Heyworth came to an agreement to lease the building, but it took the landlord several months to move everything out. Heyworth officially signed the lease in June and has been hard at work since then preparing it for opening.
Just how committed is Heyworth to the project?
He actually moved from Hamilton to a townhouse one minute away from the facility.
“I can see the building from the top floor of my townhouse,” said Heyworth.
One of the technological marvels of Heyworth’s facility will be a groundbreaking pitching machine made by Amusement Products out of Chattanooga, Tenn. Heyworth believes it’s the only such machine in Canada.
“One of the biggest problems people are having right now, especially with the tariffs, is getting products across the border,” said Heyworth. “So, I am paying quite the premium for this machine.”
The machine boasts customized settings for baseball, fastball (windmill) and slo-pitch – the latter of which were a big selling point for Heyworth.
“For its slo-pitch pitches, it has top spin, back spin and knuckleballs and I can tell you, there’s nowhere else you can practice hitting those unless you have a dedicated pitcher,” said Heyworth.
The plan is to have three batting cages that will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Heyworth believes the cages will be longest and widest of any West of Toronto. And each cage will be equipped with three cameras that will film the batters and allow them to upload footage to their phones.
“I’m building out a rig that’s going to surround the batter. There will be a side swing path view and a back view. And then there will be a third camera from behind home plate,” explained Heyworth. “My eventual goal is to expand on that to the point where batters will have a 3-D model of their swing. And what I’m hoping to do eventually is to have players receive actionable suggestions for their swing.”
The HitTrax system will also be available at The Den. This allows hitters to monitor metrics like exit velocity, launch angles and the distance a ball will travel. Its software will also provide players with the opportunity to compete in games against teams from other facilities.
HitTrax teams are generally four players and games are only about 15 minutes. There’s no fielding; the teams only hit. The HitTrax software will predict the outcomes of at bats based on factors such as exit velocities and launch angles.
“It will figure out if it is a single, double or triple,” explained Heyworth. “And at the end of the game, it will spit out an actual box score for you.”
Making all of this happen has been a lot of grunt work for Heyworth. But preparing the building, and the land surrounding it, has been a labour of love. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been challenges. For example, in early September, he was alerted to an issue with the septic system that will cost him an additional $30,000.
But this hasn’t deterred Heyworth. He still has hopes that the facility will open in November.
In the meantime, he remains committed to making this the most technologically advanced batting facility in Canada, and one that will cater to elite slo-pitch players, like himself.
“Slo-pitch has definitely become a passion for me, mostly because of the accessibility for people who you wouldn’t expect to have any baseball skills,” said Heyworth. “It gives them accessibility to compete and play. All you need is a bat and glove.”
Heyworth is the Hamilton & Area zone director for Play Slo-Pitch, the Ontario body for Slo-Pitch National, which hosts recreational and competitive slo-pitch events across Ontario. They are known for their highly competitive series called Super Series, as well as Senior Circuit, Provincial and National events.
Heyworth is also the tech director for Slo-Pitch National and the mastermind behind the industry-leading Slo Pitch Central website which all Super Series events use for their schedules and standings. Heyworth believes his facility will offer something to top-tier slo-pitch players that they have never had access to before.
“Because of the level of competition in the Super Series, you have to practice all winter,” said Heyworth. “If you haven’t practiced all winter, you’re unlikely to have any success. My facility will give them a chance to practice in the winter.”
To use the facility, players will be able to buy a membership (different tiers are outlined on the website) or purchase rounds without a membership.
The tech-savvy Heyworth has already created a website, Facebook page and YouTube channel for The Den. He has also constructed a 3D tour of the facility.
“My ultimate goal is just to grow the sport, especially slo-pitch. That’s literally what all this comes down to,” said Heyworth. “I feel like a lot of the time slo-pitch gets ignored, but a lot of the time slo-pitch is the adult pipeline to youth. And if the kids watch their parents playing slo-pitch, I think there’s a lot more likelihood that they’re going to have interest in playing baseball themselves.”
Heyworth is looking for other facilities to compete with The Den in HitTrax tournaments. If you’re interested in connecting, please contact Shane via email at contact@thedenbaseballcentre.ca
Thanks for update on this state-of-the-art facility.
Thanks for reading this.
Great looking place. Thanks for sharing Kevin