USA Baseball, the national governing body for amateur baseball, has entered into a multi-year official training product supplier agreement with Swing XP, the manufacturer of a unique weighted bat, designed to help batters improve their hitting mechanics and performance.
Swing XP Power Series practice bats will be used by USA Baseball’s National Teams and National Team Development Program players for hitting instruction and training. The product will also be available to USA Baseball’s national member organizations across the country — a market of more than 12 million amateur players in ballparks and playgrounds across the U.S.
Swing XP Power Series baseball practice bats, when used in accordance with the Swing XP Training System, improve the batter’s swing mechanics, effectively shortening the swing path and reducing the swing time to ball contact. Practice and focus on proper form through the execution of the system drills result in better and more consistent contact. Players at all levels of the game report higher batting averages, more consistent line-drives and longer ball flights after training with Swing XP Power Series bats.
“A large part of our mission is executed on the grassroots level,” said Paul Seiler, executive director/CEO of USA Baseball. “We believe that Swing XP’s bats will help our players at all levels become better hitters — from the boys and girls participating at the 11U and 12U age group, all the way up to the professional level.
“Swing XP is a worthy training product partner for USA Baseball.”
All Swing XP bats will prominently feature the distinctive USA Baseball logo, along with the wording “An Official Training Product Supplier.” Swing XP products will be displayed and marketed at all USA Baseball signature events, beginning with the Tournament of Stars at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., and the 17U/15U/14U National Team Championships in both Florida and Arizona, as well as at the USA Baseball Team Store and at major retail stores throughout the U.S.
“The acceptance of Swing XP by USA Baseball as an official training product supplier is the most compelling validation possible in the baseball marketplace,” said Chris Shocklee, chief executive officer for Swing XP. “We are thrilled and honored to be a partner helping USA Baseball achieve its mission to develop the best hitters the U.S. can produce.”
USA Baseball first introduced the Swing XP bats to its athletes in the summer of 2013 — a season that was highlighted by international gold medals at the 18U, 15U and 12U level, as well as the Collegiate National Team completing a five-game sweep of the Cuban National Team in a series contested across the U.S. The success led to the United States taking over the No. 1 ranking in the World Baseball Softball Confederation men’s baseball rankings.
Swing XP Power Series bats have been subjected to extensive field testing, and to biomechanical testing at the renowned American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala. ASMI recently conducted two series of tests on the Swing XP Training System under the direction of Dr. Glenn Fleisig, ASMI’s research director and chairman of USA Baseball’s medical/safety committee. Their studies show that the Swing XP Power Series bats give batters a longer view of the pitch because the batter’s game swing is quicker, and that there is more “sweet spot” hitting because the game swing is more compact and fluid.
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
