Taroko Sports, a brand component of Taroko USA – a wholly-owned subsidiary of TRK Corporation, the largest entertainment group in Taiwan –announced March 18 that it will open the first of a number of planned American entertainment concepts in Katy at24539 Katy Fwy. A grand opening was held on Friday, March 28 at the 20,000-square-foot complex. Taroko Sports’ centerpiece offering is its state-of-the-art batting cages, which utilize top-of-the-line technology to gamify hitting a baseball in such a way as to establish a fun, competitive element alongside other traditional sports and arcade offerings, food and drink, and the chance to enjoy communal socializing with friends and colleagues in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.

After significant market research and time spent in Houston and other major U.S. cities, the Taroko Sports leadership team selected Katy as one of the first launch markets – joining planned locations in California, Arizona, New York, Florida, and additional in Texas – for its innovative batting cage concept. Taroko USA’s parent company, TRK Corporation, currently operates six global entertainment concepts across 36 international locations and is eager to now expand its operations to the continental United States. Taroko Sports’ Katy location will have 12 batting cage lanes with two lanes of fast-pitch softball, two lanes of slow-pitch softball, and eight lanes of baseball – with pitch speeds able to be adjusted from as slow as 50 mph up to 80 mph.

“Batting cages have become ubiquitous with training and are too often seen only as a means for serious baseball athletes to improve their hitting prowess as they seek to advance in their career,” noted Gordon Hsieh, founder and CEO of TRK Corporation. He added, “Our goal is to broaden the appeal of the batting cage, which can be fun for all baseball skill levels, and bring it out of tucked away facilities. Taroko Sports puts a new, technology-driven spin on the classic American pastime via its immersive gaming elements in order to deliver a world-class, family-friendly experience.”


In addition to its core batting cage element, Taroko Sports will entertain visitors with a plethora of arcade, sports-centric, and classic games across its expansive west Houston confines. Specifically, Taroko Sports will offer pitching cages, air hockey, basketball “pop-a-shot”, FPS (first person shooter) video arcade games, miniature bowling, electronic darts, and several best-in-class 5D racing simulators that are not currently available anywhere else in the Houston area. In addition to the traditional basketball arcade options, Taroko Sports is building out five large-scale, full-sized basketball games – built to to test guests’ ability to shoot a true-to-scale free throw and other skill-based hardwood challenges – that are proprietary to Taroko Sports in the United States.


All of Taroko Sports’ attractions are operated on a card system; each attraction possesses a card reader and is activated via a simple card tap – similar to tap-to-pay systems at grocery and other retail stores. Customers are able to purchase cards from the complex’s self-service kiosk or at the front desk before beginning their Taroko Sports journey; attractions range in price based on the type of attraction and length of stay desired at said attraction. Taroko Sports plans to offer a significant discount for first responders and for military personnel for its baseball attractions, specifically.


On the food and beverage side, Taroko Sports will have a streamlined menu consisting of a number of pizzas, oven-roasted chicken wings, soft pretzel, corn dog, French fries, tater tots and more. For those not hitting the cages or other interactive elements, Taroko will boast seven 75” TVs and six 65” TVs throughout its expansive space; eight TVs will be dedicated to playing sporting events at all times. Several TVs will be placed above a small bar setup, where guests can order bottled beer and wine. In total, Taroko Sports’ facility has 92 seats for guests to watch all the action – split between a general area and a platform area that is optimized for watching hitters and pitchers test their mettle.


“With this opening, we are thrilled to bring a unique entertainment concept to one of Houston’s fastest-growing and most vibrant communities; we view Taroko as a place for all ages and baseball skill levels, and we are excited to welcome those who have hopes of playing in the big leagues to those who have never picked up a baseball bat before to our concept,” Hsieh concluded.


Taroko Sports will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight.