The player currently batting in a game is said to be at the plate, at bat, or up to bat (shortened to up). To keep the eager moving at an orderly pace, the next batter due up waits to take his turn in a circle (actually marked or imaginary) between his team's dugout or bench and the batter's box, and is said to be on deck, with the Batting Cages circle patent as the on deck circle. The player in the batting establishment after the on deck batter is said to be in the hole.

Cricket nets, passed down by cricket batsmen are agnate in purpose, but bowling machines are much less common than facing a live bowler (this reflects the fact that roundly all of the members of a cricket team are specialist bowlers, and therefore proportionately greater bowling practice is needed in cricket than pitching manner in baseball).