LSU Trainer Marucci Knows Bats

As director of athletic training at Louisiana State University, Jack Marucci knows it's going to be a good day when the Tigers are on the field and not in his office. This time of year, Marucci also knows it's going to be a good day if Carlos Pena and Albert Pujols are swinging hot bats.

Check today's box scores - it's a very good day for Marucci.

Five of the top-10 major-league home run leaders this season have something in common -- they are using wooden bats hand-crafted by Marucci and his tiny company in Baton Rouge, La.

Started in 2002 by Marucci in a shed that still sits adjacent to the scaled-down, major-league ball park in his backyard, the Marucci Bat Company has more than 100 major leaguers as customers.

The list includes home-run leader Pena (Tampa Bay Rays), two-time National League MVP Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals) 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (Philadelphia Phillies) and Jose Reyes (New York Mets).

After he watched his 14-year-old son, Gino, bang a home run and triple in his team's youth league win Wednesday night, Marucci heard that Pena smacked his league-best 12th home run in the 10th-inning in the Rays' 4-3 victory over the Yankees, while Pujols homered for the fourth time in five games and collected four hits in the Cardinals' 4-2 win over the Pirates.

Marucci went to bed one happy, thankful cat.

"When I get a text or a telephone call from a player and we talk to me about their hitting and their bats, it's all very humbling to be quite honest," Marucci said today.

Marucci, in his 14th year at LSU, overseas the athletic training operation of all 20 varsity sports. The football team recently concluded its spring drills, and two important questions were answered. First-year defensive coordinator John Chavis restored intensity to the practice field and sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson was more consistent as a passer.

"We came out of spring pretty healthy, and our defensive players really took to Coach Chavis' system," Marucci said.

Marucci, 45, also has his own system when it comes to crafting bats.

A Marucci bat starts in the deep woods of Pennsylvania and is cut and inspected by an Amish builder. The wood, either maple or ash, is shipped to Marucci's 10,000-square foot facility (the business eventually outgrew Marucci's 6' X 9' shed) a few miles from LSU.

In his inventory of bat billets (long, circular pieces of wood, 37 inches by 2-7/8 inches), cutting tools, personalized bat measurements for players and a computer-assisted lathe from Spain that spins the wood and helps create its symmetry, you will find cow femurs that Marucci uses to hone the bats. Rubbing the bats with cow bones closes the wood's pores and makes it denser.

Marucci knows good wood.

The bat's deep, dark black or cherry color is a result of the finish and quality wood. The bright white, cursive letter M, the Marucci emblem that he designed one morning over a breakfast biscuit, easily stands out. Marucci is extremely meticulous about his bats and he takes his time producing them. A bat, from start to finish, can take up to 24 hours.

Actually, that's one reason why Pena has used a Marucci bat the past two seasons after he first saw teammate Cliff Floyd hit with one. Players are as picky about their bats as they are their tooth brushes.

"No. 1, they really make sure the bat looks good and that's important," Pena told FanHouse in a telephone interview Wednesday night after his dramatic home run over the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium.

"When you see the bat you go, 'Wow, that is a beautiful looking bat with incredible detail' and as a player I appreciate that. They take pride in their bats. Just as importantly, they are very meticulous about having good wood. If there are times when Jack doesn't feel good about the quality of wood, he won't ship any bats until he's happy with the quality.

"He's building that kind of relationship with players."

There's no denying Marucci's love for baseball.

A long-time Pirates fan from his youth days in Pennsylvania, Marucci turned his backyard into a baseball diamond for son Gino and his neighborhood buddies many years ago. The field has dirt base paths, seats that once held cheering fans at Oakland Coliseum and Camden Yards, and a hand-operated scoreboard. Marucci also acquired his father's passion for wood and craftsmanship.

When Marucci couldn't find a bat -- wooden or aluminum -- small enough for son Gino to use for T-ball, Marucci made one from wood. Eyeing a bat he'd hung by a string in his shed, Marucci would try to copy a bat. He used calipers to guide his lathe cuts. He'd swing the finished bat to check its balance. Marucci later started to make regulation-sized bats that LSU players used in batting practice.

Marucci's Eureka moment came in 2003, when he traveled to St. Louis for a sports medicine convention.

Wanting to catch a Cardinals game since he was in the neighborhood, Marucci called Cardinals first baseman Eduardo Perez, son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez. Marucci knew Eduardo from Marucci's time as a trainer at Florida State, where Perez played baseball.

Marucci told Perez about his backyard bat shop. Perez, currently an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight, told Marucci to bring a few bats and invited him on the field for batting practice. Perez couldn't believe the quality of Marucci's sticks.

"I told Jack, 'Dude, these look good.' The bat felt great in my hands," Perez said Wednesday afternoon.

"If the quality of wood is good and the reaction from players is positive, they are going to use it. Players have a number of different options when it comes to bats, but the product has to be important to you. I still have the original bat Jack gave me."

Perez decided to use Marucci's bat against the Dodgers that evening, even if it was unlicensed by major-league baseball and wasn't supposed to be in the game. (Batmakers are required by MLB to insure themselves against injuries to spectators).

Marucci, of course, was worried the bat would turn to dust in the hands of Perez when he made contact with a 90-mph heater. Perez grounded out to shortstop, the bat stayed in one piece and Marucci exhaled before he passed out.

A few nights later, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin borrowed a Marucci bat from Perez and laced a single. Mike Cameron, then with the New York Mets, got the first home run with a Marucci bat later that season.

The hits, home runs, player orders and updated insurance forms keep coming.

Partnered with Kurt Ainsworth, a former LSU pitcher who played with the Giants, and Joe Lawrence, a former LSU football player and first-round selection in major-league baseball, the Marucci Bat Company has discovered its niche in the competitive world of professional baseball.

Nearly 30 companies are licensed by MLB to sell bats. Hillerich & Bradsby, which makes the Louisville Slugger brand, has put bats in the hands of players since 1884, leads the parade with more than 60-percent of the market. Marucci expects to sell 3,000 bats to professional baseball players this year and 20,000 overall, one-third more than in 2008.

Marucci credits the competitiveness of his team for the company's success. Marucci has been the part of three football national championships under three different coaches at FSU (Bobby Bowden) and LSU (Nick Saban and Les Miles). Ainsworth was an Olympic gold medalist and won a baseball national title at LSU and Lawrence, though he also played football, was a first-round selection of the Toronto Blue Jays.

"Because of our past experiences we know what it takes to produce a winning product," Marucci said. "We are in this for the long haul."

Marucci has avoided selling his wooden bats through large, chain retailers, instead relying on recommendations from players. Marucci has had to sell souvenir bats and generate online sales over the years to turn a profit.

Also, the Marucci Bat company recently formed a joint venture with Louisiana inventor Joel Albin, who a few years ago launched his own successful line of aluminum bats. The partnership will now make aluminum bats under the Marucci label.

That move will help Marucci gain access to a much larger and more profitable market. The partnership's first product is an aluminum bat called the "Cat 5," which Gino used in Wednesday night's victory. When Marucci arrived home, the news only got better with the wood-bat swings from Carlos and Albert.

"It's truly amazing how far we've come," Marucci said.

"I guess the stars are aligning right for us. We've had stronger bat sales every year, and the player feedback has been extremely positive. That's important because we want to deal with good, quality people; they represent us, too. It's about building strong relationships and developing a common trust and bond."

Exactly the same approach Marucci uses each day with his LSU athletes.