A D-BAT Baseball & Softball Academy is coming to The Shops of England Run on Warrenton Road, in the large storefront next to Rappahannock Goodwill’s new store in the former Big Lots space.
Owners Carrie and Brent Curtis say the indoor academy will be more than 14,000 square feet and will include 10 batting cages, a Rawlings-sponsored pro shop, and a flex room for birthday parties or corporate events. They are aiming to open in December or January.
What they say will set it apart is access. Curtis said fewer baseball and softball training sites in the region are open to the general public, and that players who are not already on a team with its own facility often get shut out of the same kind of indoor work. D-BAT, she said, is being built for walk-in families and local teams alike.
“We hope to change that by bringing a state-of-the-art facility to the tremendous talent in the area and make it available to everyone,” Curtis wrote.
Brent Curtis previously served in the Army National Guard with A Company, 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion in Fredericksburg. The couple said they are still in the early stages of outfitting the space for equipment.
Stafford County permits posted on the glass show the build-out has been underway since late 2025. A commercial alterations permit issued Dec. 12, 2025, covered a new glass storefront. An electrical permit issued July 31 authorized a 600-amp, three-phase service for the “dark shell” space. Another electrical permit, issued Aug. 27, covered rough-in work for the men’s and women’s restrooms.
At opening, the Curtises expect three full-time employees and several part-time workers. The part-time jobs, Carrie Curtis said, are meant in part for teenagers and young adults who want to work around the game. Baseball and softball trainers will be on site for pitching, hitting, fielding, throwing, and catching lessons. Trainers will have at least collegiate playing experience.
The academy will not lock in with one travel or high school program. Curtis said they will promote with leagues but remain “team-agnostic.”
Membership details are not set. Curtis said those will be announced once an opening date is firmer, and that a limited introductory offer is likely.
The national D-BAT brand — Developing Beliefs, Attitudes & Traditions — runs indoor, climate-controlled academies with real baseballs and softballs, pitching machines, lessons, camps, and pro shops. Nearby locations already operate in Manassas and in Hampton Roads. This would be the first D-BAT in the Stafford–Fredericksburg corridor.
The Shops of England Run is at 736 Warrenton Road.
