Baseball season might not officially start until next month, but spring training has arrived early for baseball players in Mid-Michigan - and with new technology.

The ProBatter system is used by pro teams like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, as well as by the baseball teams at Michigan and Michigan State.

The ProBatter combines the latest video and computer technology to simulate the experience of facing live pitching. The SWAT Elite Sports training facility in Howell is one of the only sports centers in the area that has the ProBatter system.

"Most of the time batting cages are just a machine and the coach feeds it," said Rob Morris, one of the owners of SWAT Elite. "It doesn't give you the real timing, like a real pitcher. The amazing part of this is that it's as realistic as you can get."

It's the ProBatter PX2, a breakthrough pitching simulator that allows the hitter to face the life-sized image of a real pitcher winding up and delivering a pitch on a video screen.

"The technology is far beyond," said Jason Stanley, another owner of SWAT Elite. "It's the only PX2 system in Livingston County."

The ProBatter gives you the technology to select the exact kind of pitch you want. You start by selecting the age of the pitcher, which means choosing a young kid to throw you a ball at 40 mph or a pro delivering 100 mph pitches. Then you can pick the kind of pitch you want - whether it's a fast ball, curve ball, or slider - where you want it to go, and how many times.

That allows players to target specific weaknesses and work on them. Staff say players who use it have already seen improvement.

"They're definitely more prepared than they were in the past," said Jason Lidd, a trainer at SWAT Elite and the baseball coach at Howell High School.

Mike Lentini plays varsity baseball at Howell High School, and says the ProBatter helps him perfect his game.

"We have a couple of pitching machines in the back, but the ProBatter beats it by a million," said Lentine. "The location's perfect, it's realistic - I really like it."

Players and staff hope the technology of the ProBatter takes their training to the next level.

"We felt like it would take us one step ahead of anyone who has a facility like this," Stanley said. "Even if it's not in the area, just to bring people from all areas to this one - to be elite."

Staff at SWAT Elite Sports say technology doesn't change their basic goal -- to teach players the fundamentals of the game. However, they say the ProBatter helps give that live experience, especially during the winter when players can't train outside.

If you want to try the ProBatter for yourself, you either rent the cage out or sign up for lessons at SWAT Elite Sports. The facility is located on East Grand River Ave. in Howell. Call (517) 540 - 0601 for more information.