A grounder is a batted baseball that rolls or bounces along the ground rather than flying through the air. When a batter hits a grounder, the ball shoots across the infield dirt toward the fielders, who must scoop it up quickly and throw to first base before the runner gets there.

Grounders come in different varieties. A slow roller barely makes it past the pitcher, giving the batter time to sprint toward first. A hard grounder rockets past the infielders so fast they can barely react. Some grounders take tricky hops that make them hard to catch cleanly.

Fielding grounders requires practice and quick reflexes. Infielders position their gloves low to the ground and watch the ball carefully, since grounders can bounce unpredictably off bumps or pebbles in the dirt. A well-hit grounder that sneaks between fielders can turn into a base hit, while a sharply hit grounder right at a fielder often results in an easy out.

Young baseball players spend hours practicing grounders, with coaches hitting ball after ball that skips and bounces toward them. Learning to field grounders cleanly can separate good fielders from great ones.