These are a few of the 35,000 bats made each year at Hoosier Bat Company in Valparaiso, Indiana.
You may not have heard of Hoosier Bat Company in Valparaiso, Indiana but major league baseball sluggers past and present – like Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton, Frank Thomas and Sammy Sosa – sure have.
Numerous major and minor league players use many of the 35,000 baseball bats that are custom made each year at this Porter County attraction.
Hoosier Bat Company in Valparaiso, Indiana
But whether you’re a star player or just a fan, you are welcome to stop in their gift shop and browse for bats and baseball-related gifts – like stools with legs made of baseball bats as well as baseball-themed clocks, jewelry and more.
You can also set up a free tour (for ages 8 and older) to see how blocks of wood like ash, maple and hickory are turned into beautiful works of art that just happen to be very useful in smacking baseballs.
The tour shows everything from start of the bat-making process (the cutting and sanding) to the finish (the painting and the adding of the words Hoosier Bat).
Hoosier Bat, which began in 1991, is actually the third oldest bat manufacturer in the country, trailing only Louisville Slugger and Rawlings.
Valparaiso, Indiana Bat Company
Hoosier Bat Company offers tours.
Hoosier Bat Company owners Dave and Debbie Cook got their start after Dave patented a design that revolutionized wooden baseball bats.
Dave, who was working as a scout for the New York Yankees at the time, invented a bat that has ash in the handle, hickory in the sweet spot and maple on the barrel end.
Dave’s “WoodForce” baseball bat has the advantage of having a solid hickory sweet spot that won’t flake, without the too-heavy feel of an all-hickory bat.
Go There
Hoosier Bat Company in Valparaiso, Indiana
Dave said the majority of products used in America’s pastime – like baseballs and uniforms – are not even made in America.
So he’s proud that the bats still are. He invites you to stop in to Hoosier Bat Company in Valparaiso, Indiana and see for yourself.
Hoosier Bat Company
4511 East Evans Avenue
Valparaiso, Indiana 46383
219-531-1006
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