Making the trip from the east coast were over 200 brand new bats. All of the bats are next year's models, not yet available in stores. Bats from Louisville Slugger, Easton, DeMarini, and Davy Jones were free to swing all day for kids under 18. They were available in every size imaginable, and some I never knew existed (Like minus 10.5).
Now what good are all of those bats without anything to hit? Luckily this isn't Baseball the Magazine's first rodeo. In what is a coordinated set up, they have four inflatable backstops with hitting mats, four Jugs pitching machines, over 2,500 baseballs and a crew of dedicated volunteers making sure that the balls never stopped flying. What do you do when you finally run out of that many baseballs to hit? You have what is possible the world's biggest ball party. Kids on the field waiting to hit, along with the volunteers and staff (including some USSSA tournament directors), headed out to the outfield to pick up a barrage of baseballs and fill over a dozen trashcans.
As if having over $5,000 of brand new bats to swing freely wasn't enough, Easton brought out their high tech swing tracker. In the fourth cage, kids could swing Easton bats and have their bat speed and ball speed off the bat tracked, showing which Easton bat suited their swing the best (more expensive isn't always better).
It couldn't possibly get any better, but it does. After taking hundreds of free swings, participants were entered into the Bat Wars Prize Giveaway. Giveaways included bat bags, batting gloves, writsbands, and even a brand new bat. Up top, there were vendors with great deals that made the parents happy. Eastbay, 3N2, Tater Grip, Davy Jones, and Shock Doctor were among the vendors selling merchandise at great deals (My $20 3N2 running shoes got me through the weekend comfortably.
When 5:00 PM rolled around, the exhausted Bat Wars crew shut off the pitching machines, deflated the batting cages, put the bats back in their boxes, packed up their trucks, and got ready for the long drive back to the East Coast. Make sure you like Baseball the Magazine on Facebook so that you're ready for when Bat Wars comes back next year.
Baseball the Magazine Facebook Page
Bat Wars Facebook Page
Bat Wars and Baseball the Magazine weren't the only ones giving away great prizes though. This tournament marked the final qualifying tournament for the USSSA Sponsorship giveaway. Teams that played in the Thanksgiving NIT, MLK Super NIT, and Bat Wars Super NIT were entered in a drawing for a chance to win free entry in 5 upcoming tournaments. Ten different teams qualified for the prize, but at Saturday's drawing, the 13-Under Cal Lumberjacks Black won entry into their next five tournaments for free. The Lumberjacks were an active participant in USSSA Tournaments all season, playing in one tournament a month since October.
We thank all of the teams that have played all season, and the other teams that were qualified for this drawing. We will announce how to qualify for next Season's Sponsorship on Baseballfirst.com, so keep your eyes open for this amazing opportunity.
Here is a list of the Champions and Runner Ups.
See you on the fields
-AC
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