FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Rick
Redman: 502.585.5226, Rick.Redman@slugger.com
OR
Rachael
Feldman: 502.815.3265, rfeldman@doeanderson.com
THE
PERFECT PARTNERSHIP!
LOUISVILLE
SLUGGER®
& PERFECT GAME
LOUISVILLE,
KY – (June 19, 2012) Special things happen when industry giants
partner. That’s why the baseball world is sitting up and taking
notice with the announcement that the
premium baseball equipment maker –
Louisville Slugger – is partnering with the
premium high school tournament and
showcase operator – Perfect Game.
“This
is huge for Louisville Slugger and for Perfect Game,” said
Louisville Slugger president Bill Clark. “Perfect Game has
produced the highest national-level individual-player showcases and
team tournaments across the U.S. for years. Eighty-five percent of
players drafted by MLB®
clubs were Perfect Game participants. That is an astonishing
number.”
Major
League players like Joey Votto, Buster Posey, Jarrod Saltalamacchia,
Justin Upton and Jason Heyward took part in Perfect Game events. PG
events produced over 1,300 MLB draft picks in 2011, including 294 of
the first 331 players selected.
“Perfect
Game events are also the place where top college coaches go to
evaluate and recruit talent,” Clark said. “They have a database
of nearly 100,000 active prospects that we’ll be able to
communicate with.”
Louisville
Slugger will activate the partnership at PG tournaments and showcases
across the country. In addition to promotion and sales, the company
will use the partnership for research & development, product
testing and focus groups. Louisville Slugger is the number one bat in
Major League Baseball®
and has produced more MLB All Stars, Hall of Famers and home runs
than all other companies combined, a perfect fit for the organization
that produces more MLB talent than any other.
“We’re
very excited to bring our 128 years of baseball knowledge, innovation
and product development with elite players to Perfect Game events,”
Clark said. “We’ll learn from these outstanding young players
just as we learn from players in Major League Baseball.”
Perfect
Game says the partnership will make its already outstanding
tournaments and showcases even better.
“Louisville
Slugger makes great, innovative products,” said Jerry Ford, owner
and president of Perfect Game,” and their unique and historic
position in baseball allows them to create experiences at our Perfect
Game events that no other company can.”
Among
those experiences, amateur players at Perfect Game events can order
MLB-quality wood with their own names engraved on bats, just like
Louisville Slugger does for its guys in Major League Baseball.
Perfect Game events will be the only
place amateur players will be able to order these special MLB wood
personalized
bats.
Louisville
Slugger will also bring a one-of-a-kind experience to PG events with
a version of the popular Hold a Piece of History exhibit from its
world-renowned Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. It will take
players and their families from the very first Louisville Slugger bat
through history to those used today by stars like Derek Jeter, Josh
Hamilton, Joey Votto, Buster Posey and many more.
“We
have game-used bats from today’s top players as well as models from
some Hall of Famers,” Clark said, “We’re letting everyone at
Perfect Game events hold and swing these bats. It’s pretty cool
when you swing Babe Ruth’s or Ted Williams’ bats or one that
Derek Jeter or Josh Hamilton used in a game.”
For
baseball people, that’s magical and exactly why Louisville Slugger
and Perfect Game make for perfect partners!
PERFECT
GAME & LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FAST FACTS
•
PG has become the
world’s largest scouting report service
•
PG reports to all 30
MLB clubs and works with most major college programs
•
An astounding 85% of
players drafted by MLB clubs played in PG events
•
ESPN named PG as its
leading authority on amateur baseball
•
PG has a database of
over 100,000 active prospects
•
PG events produced
1,323 MLB draft picks in 2011
•
294 of the first 311
MLB draft picks in 2011 played in PG events
•
PG events produced
more than 1,000 college players in 2011
•
9,500+ draft picks
have attended PG events in the last 12 years
•
Louisville Slugger is
the #1 Bat in MLB®
• LS
has produced more All Stars, Hall of Famers, hits, HRs and RBIs than
all other bat companies combined
•
Over 8,500 pro players
have been under contract to swing LS bats
•
Many of today’s
stars, like Josh Hamilton, Joey Votto and Derek Jeter, swing LS
•
LS sponsors nearly 50
top-level D1 NCAA baseball programs, including 2012 CWS participants
Arizona & Florida State
•
Innovation &
technology drive Louisville Slugger product development
About
Louisville Slugger®
Louisville
Slugger® is the Official Bat of Major League Baseball®
and is a name that is synonymous with America’s pastime.
Originating in 1884, Louisville Slugger bats have graced the hands of
the greatest players in baseball history. Stars of today swing
Louisville Slugger bats, including Josh Hamilton, Derek Jeter, David
Wright and Joey Votto. Louisville Slugger also makes equipment for
college, high school and youth baseball players as well as gear for
slow-pitch and fastpitch softball. Louisville Slugger is a brand of
the Hillerich & Bradsby Co., a fifth-generation family-owned
business that also owns and operates Louisville Slugger Museum &
Factory and makes PowerBilt® golf clubs, and Bionic® Gloves for a
variety of sports and hobbies.
About
Perfect Game
Perfect
Game USA is devoted to furthering the development and career of the
talented high school baseball player. To that end, Perfect Game USA
produces the very highest national level individual player showcases
and team tournaments all over the United States. These events have
proved invaluable to the college coaching community and major league
baseball as they can scout a large population of talented ball
players all in one location.
www.slugger.com