The Bat Men of PG

Jim Salisbury

Meet the Bat Men of PG

Jeff Evans just wanted to make a better bat for his son.

Pete O’Brien was just following the wishes of his two sons.

This is how the Bat Men of Perfect Game got started.

In early January, Evans and O’Brien found themselves under the same roof in a cavernous exhibition hall at the annual American Baseball Coaches Association convention just outside of Washington, D.C.

They were there representing their respective companies and their respective products, two of the most talked-about bats on the baseball landscape.

Evans is founder and CEO of Soldier Sports, maker of the official metal bat of Perfect Game.

O’Brien is founder of Mine Baseball, maker of the official wood bat of Perfect Game.

Both companies have parlayed their year-old partnerships with PG into significant growth with more expected as the weather warms and the new baseball season approaches. Soldier’s signature bat is The Tank, and you can’t miss it with its bright colors and the loud thwack it produces at contact. Mine Baseball will debut The Goat, which O’Brien calls “virtually unbreakable,” in April. The metallic gold mirrored finish is one-of-a-kind.

Jeff Evans calls baseball “a family game.” He should know. He played at Bellevue University in Nebraska. His dad, Mike, coached at Bellevue and won the NAIA National Championship there in 1995.

Soldier Sports and Mine Baseball are both family affairs. Evans was inspired to build a better metal bat by his baseball-loving son Tanner. Pete O’Brien contemplated getting out of the business a few years ago, but, at the urging of sons Miles and Lance kept things going. Lance oversees everything now as COO and says the company has been on a “rocket ship since 2021.”

PG officials loved the family aspect of both companies. They also loved the products. PG tested the bats from both companies extensively before the partnerships were struck.

“In July 2023, PG calls and asks if we’d be interested in being their official wood bat,” Pete O’Brien said. “It’s the No. 1 ecosystem in amateur baseball. Of course, we would. The partnership showcases our product and verifies its quality.”

Evans said it was “a dream come true” to partner with PG.

“It’s the best amateur baseball platform in the world,” he added. “To be able to be at their tournaments and showcases has taken us to a whole new level and will springboard us to the next.”

Soldier Sports at first made performance and protective equipment for athletes and military personnel. Evans got into the bat business four years ago when Tanner’s love for the game began to blossom.

“My son was ready to transition to a BBCOR bat a few years ago,” Evans said. “We were looking for a light swing weight, something that worked for him. Finally, we said, ‘Let’s try to make one.’ “

Father, son and the team at Soldier tried out 27 different iterations of the bat. They experimented with different alloys, handles, tapers and wall constructions. They worked on developing a big, hot sweet spot. They spent 90 days getting the sound off the bat just right because, “We didn’t want it to be quiet when a kid hits a home run,” Jeff said.

For three years, Tanner and his buddies hit with the bat and gave Jeff the frank feedback he desired.

“We tore it apart 26 times,” he said. “Finally, we came up with a blend of alloys that made a light, powerful bat.”

He named the bat after his design partner. Tanner is a shortstop at Millard North High School in Omaha. “Tank” has long been his nickname.

“I built something with my son and that’s really special,” Jeff said, proudly. “The neat thing is seeing him out there with it, doing great things with it. Other dads will see that, as well, with their sons.

“No one knew who Soldier Sports and The Tank was a year ago. Now they do because the bat is really good.”

Unlike the Evans family, the O’Brien family did not have a deep history in baseball before it ventured into the bat world. Pete was a successful business man with a background in the wood and woodworking industry. Lance was also established in the woodworking industry. The O’Briens had connections with wood experts in Italy, who told them about the benefits of making a bat from European beech. The bats are manufactured in Italy to Mine Baseball’s specifications.

“European beech is harder than other woods, more durable, more flexible,” Pete O’Brien said. “There’s less vibration and a bigger sweet spot. It all equals confidence at the plate.”

Lance O’Brien believes not having a traditional baseball background has benefitted Mine Baseball and the development of its products.

“We know how to talk to people about wood, not just baseball,” he said. “It allows us to center the company around: One, we know the wood is good. And, two, we don’t know a lot about baseball so let’s just listen to people, listen to what they say, and build products around that. So, we do a lot of listening and try to create things that are unique to the market.”

“Unique” would be the word for “The Goat,” which is set to be released in April. Pete O’Brien showed it off at the ABCA convention. The patented bat, three years in the making, features a hickory (for strength) handle and a walnut (for lightness) barrel. It all comes together with a tongue and groove technique before the eye-popping finish is applied. The bat comes with a year guarantee.

Lance O’Brien brought The Goat, about a dozen of them, to PG’s WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, in October. One player hit two home runs with the bat during the tournament. Lance let him keep it.

“I told him, ‘You earned it,’” Lance said with a laugh. “People wouldn’t stop talking about it. The buzz was phenomenal.”

Like Soldier Sports, Mine Baseball puts all of its products – both companies make a wide lineup of bats -- through extensive testing, research and development before they hit the market.

“We’re not an overnight success story,” Lance O’Brien said. “We’ve grinded the past few years to get to where we are now.”

Both companies are community-minded. For every 10 bats it sells, Mine Baseball donates one to a youth program dedicated to teaching and growing the game. Soldier Sports is a supporter of the Special Operations Wounded Warriors (SOWW). Good stuff.

Look for The Tank and The Goat at your next PG tournament or showcase and read more about them here https://soldiersports.us and here https://minebaseball.com

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