Arm pitching machine having improved ball delivery assembly and pitching arm

A pitching machine for pitching a plurality of balls one at a time to a batter, the pitching machine comprising:

• a frame;
• a ball feed trough coupled to the frame, the ball feed trough having a lower end and configured to retain at least three of the balls;
• a ball acquisition structure coupled to the frame, the ball acquisition structure spaced apart from, and configured to support one of the balls at an elevation below, the lower end of the feed trough;
• a ball cup coupled to the frame and positioned at the lower end of the ball feed trough and adjacent the ball acquisition structure, the ball trough being sloped to allow for gravity feed of the balls to the ball cup, the ball cup sized for retaining one of the balls, the ball cup having a curved wall defining a ball opening sized for receiving and dispensing the one of the balls, the ball cup rotatable about a ball cup axis such that, during use, the ball cup receives one of the balls when the ball opening of the ball cup rotates to meet the lowest ball in the ball trough, as the ball cup rotates, the curved wall inhibits more than one ball from entering the ball cup, and as the ball cup continues to rotate, the ball opening opens toward the ball acquisition structure enabling the ball to exit the ball cup and drop to the ball acquisition structure.