A fungo (sp) bat was used (maybe still is) to hit long fly balls during baseball practice.

We used to call hitting balls to the outfield  during play time  or practice as  hitting fungos.

Thats right Herb and it was done with a special bat called a fungo, which I think was made out of a different kind of wood that made the ball go far. If you tried to use the fungo bat against live pitching, it would shatter.

Fungo bats were also thin, making them easier for the coaches to control as they hit with them.

Wwe never had special bats or coaches.  We just called  hitting  tthe balls without a pitcher as fungos.