Beast T-Ball Bat

Most experts agree: the earlier a child starts using the correct mechanics, the better chance he or she will have for long-term success.

That said, it makes sense to get a V-Grip bat into the hands of a child from the very beginning. Toward that end, Mattingly Sports offers a tee ball bat with a V-Grip handle and the famous “Beast” graphics — so it looks just like the bat the big kids use!

The Beast T-Ball V-grip bat is made from sturdy aluminum alloy, has a standard 2 1/4″ barrel diameter and -10 drop. It comes in three lengths: 24″, 25″, and 26″. Most importantly, the V-grip handle promotes the perfect batting grip — in the fingers, away from the palm — so beginners can learn to swing correctly from the get-go.

Kevin Long Teaches Hitting

Last week at the Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Rockaway Mall, NJ, New York Yankees batting coach Kevin Long stopped by to offer hitting tips to a group of youngsters from the Rockaway Township Little League.

Kevin went over the fundamentals of hitting and also demonstrated a few drills with individual players. The event — which took place last Monday, April 21st — ran about an hour and included a Q&A with Kevin as well as an autograph session after the lesson.

Come back to the V-Force blog to find out when an MLB hitting coach will be coming to YOUR area to talk about hitting!

Kevin Long talks about the importance of balance in your batting stance.

Kevin signs an autograph and answers questions after the lesson.

Kevin Long poses with members of Mattingly Baseball and Dick’s Sporting Goods. From left to right: Jim, Kevin, Jeff, Jake, and Howard.

More pictures from the event can be found on the Rockaway Township Baseball Association website here

Boutelle Back

Mattingly Sports is proud to announce its continued sponsorship of one of the rising stars of the PFX Tour-Professional Fastpitch Xtreme Tour, Tina Boutelle.

Boutelle was nominated 2006 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, leading the University of Texas to 3 NCAA Division I World Series appearances and 2 Big 12 Championships. A 5′5″ powerhouse, Boutelle had an astonishing .500 batting average during the 2006 NCAA Super Regionals.

“Tina Boutelle continues to embody the spirit of Mattingly Sports,” says Skip Shaw, President of Mattingly Sports. “She is recognized as not only a gifted Fastpitch personality for her performance, but as an example for kids across the country to emulate because of her hard work, determination, and respect for the game.”

Tina will represent Mattingly Sports during the 2008 PFX tour and exclusively use the BEAST V-Grip 100% composite bat.

A huge fan of the V-Grip bat, Tina enthusiastically states, “I have been using the Beast Fastpitch bat for over a year now and I can honestly say that my batting has improved. This BEAST V-Grip bat is amazing. It increases my bat speed and gives me the power to hit further than ever before.”

For more information on the PFX Tour visit www.PFXtour.com.

Career Highlights:

International
-Junior Olympic Team- Won Gold Medal
-World University Team - Won Gold Medal
- 2006 National Training Team Invitee

Collegiate: 2006
- USA Sofball World University Games Training Camp Invitee
- Academic All-Big 12 Second Team
- Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 21)
- Started 60 out of UT’s 61 games in centerfield and was the team’s leadoff hitter in 43 of the 61 contests
-Stole a career high 25 bases which was highest in UT history
- finished with a .316 (2nd highest on team)
-Teams high with 60 hits
- Scored a team-best 42 runs, the second-best total in UT history (tied with Nikki Cockrell, 1999)

Success at Kaskaskia

The Kaskaskia College Blue Devils have won 120 games in 3 years and have been named and Academic All-American Team for 2006 and 2007!

Kaskaskia is a junior college baseball team that uses Mattingly V-Grip bats exclusively, and has had 9 ballplayers drafted by pro teams in the past five years. More importantly, they have sent over 40 players to four-year schools in that same time span, including D1 programs such as Arizona State University, Tennessee Tech, and Indiana State (among others).

Head coach Brad Tuttle is a big believer in the V-Grip technology.

“I believe the Matting MVP V-Grip bat has increased our extra base hits dramatically.”

Kaskaskia College was the first community college in Illinois established under the Junior College Act of 1965. It has a rich tradition of providing comprehensive, high quality, cost-effective educational opportunities for lifelong learning.

Super Series March Winners

Super Series Baseball has announced their winners of the March 2008 Beast Awards!

Two players from the eleven-and-up division — Chaz Mighells of Goodyear, Arizona, and Charles Barnard of Frisco, Texas — took the honors, while Frankie Padulo of Los Alamitos, California represented the 12U and Angel Acosta of Baldwin Park, CA was the 13U winner.