Phoenix Bats

What Phoenix Bats does

Phoenix Bats (legal name Phoenix Bat Company) is a privately held, US-based manufacturer of premium custom wood baseball and softball bats, founded in 1996 by Charles "Lefty" Trudeau and headquartered at 7801 Corporate Blvd Suite E in Plain City, Ohio, just outside Columbus. The company operates a single manufacturing facility equipped with what it describes as the most advanced CNC lathe in the wooden bat industry, complemented by hand-grading of every wood billet for quality and weight. Production uses American-sourced rock maple, yellow birch, and northern white ash, and bats are cut only after an order is placed to minimize moisture- or dryness-related degradation.

The product portfolio spans adult wood bats, youth and transition bats, fungo and training bats, softball bats, vintage 1850s-1960s era bats, and trophy/award presentation bats, with a sub-line of high-density (HD), ProXR Axe Handle, and Puck Knob Counter Balance variants. Notable signature models include pro-player designs such as the AP5 (Pujols), MC24 (Cabrera), JV2 (Villar), B72 (Jeter), RD4 (Dawson), and LAW30 (Wade), and bats have been approved for professional use since 2000. Pricing for adult wood bats ranges from approximately $129 to $189, with multi-pack bundles at $395 and rush production surcharges of $40-$60 per bat.

Phoenix Bats generates revenue through a direct-to-consumer model spanning its e-commerce site (phoenixbats.com), phone sales, a Plain City showroom, and event-driven channels including the Worthington Wood Bat Tournament and the ABCA Convention. Customer segments include professional players, youth players (ages 5-13), amateur and travel-ball teams, trophy/award buyers, vintage-baseball leagues, and softball players, with adjacent gear (gloves, clothing, hats, accessories, gift cards) providing incremental revenue. The company is founder-owned under CEO Joel Armbruster, has no disclosed institutional funding, and ships domestically and internationally with some product restrictions.

Name

Phoenix Bats

Legal name

Phoenix Bat Company

Website

https://phoenixbats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Phoenix Bats is a privately held Plain City, Ohio manufacturer of premium custom wood baseball, softball, and vintage bats, selling direct-to-consumer through e-commerce, phone, and showroom channels to professional, amateur, youth, and trophy/award customers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Wood Baseball Bats

NAICS

Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (339920), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAA)

Keywords

• Custom wood baseball bats
• Wood softball bats
• Vintage baseball bats
• Maple baseball bats
• Youth wood bats

Headquarters

HQ city

Plain City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wood Baseball Bats: Phoenix Bats generates revenue primarily through the sale of custom wood baseball bats. They offer adult wood bats, youth bats, fungo bats, training bats, trophy and award bats, and vintage bats. Bats can be customized with various wood types (maple, birch, ash), finishes, engravings, and personalization options.
2. Gear and Accessories: Sale of complementary products including fielding gloves, clothing, hats, accessories, and gift cards.
3. Presentation Gift Bats: Custom trophy and award bats for special recognition events including presentations and ceremonies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Phoenix Bats manufactures and sells custom wood baseball, softball, and vintage bats made in the USA from rock maple, yellow birch, and northern white ash. The line spans professional-player models, high-density performance bats, youth and training bats, fungo bats, and trophy/presentation bats, all produced on proprietary precision lathes with hand-graded wood and order-driven cutting. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's e-commerce site, phone sales, and Plain City, Ohio showroom, with custom options for wood type, finish, engraving, and cupping.

Product overview

Phoenix Bats is a specialized wood baseball and softball bat manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of customizable wooden bats. The product line spans professional player-designed models (AP5, JV2, B72, MC24, RD4), high-density performance bats (13HD, 271HD, 72HD, AP5HD), and youth/beginner options (JK5, F110, P2). Beyond baseball bats, the company produces softball bats, fungo/training bats, trophy/award presentation bats, and vintage historical bats for 1860s-style play. All bats are crafted from American-sourced rock maple, yellow birch, and northern white ash on proprietary CNC lathes. Products can be customized by wood type, finish, engraving, cupping, and drop weight. The company sells direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce platform with a 10-day risk-free guarantee and 45-day limited warranty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Wood Baseball Bats

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HIDEit MountsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 February 2024Phoenix Bats partnered with HIDEit Mounts for a collaborative giveaway contest in February 2024, coinciding with Baseball Spring Training. The partnership created a co-branded marketing opportunity targeting baseball enthusiasts.
• Worthington Wood Bat TournamentcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPhoenix Bats is the official wood bat sponsor and key partner of the annual Worthington Wood Bat Tournament held in Columbus, Ohio. The tournament has grown to approximately 250 teams competing in 14U, 15U, 17U, and 18U divisions, making it one of the largest wood bat tournaments nationally.
• San Diego Coastal Collegiate Summer League (SDCCL)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhoenix Bats provides bats for the San Diego Coastal Collegiate Summer League, a summer collegiate league providing opportunities for players to develop their games.
• OTL TournamentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhoenix Bats is one of the few approved bats for the OTL (OMBAC) beach softball tournament held on San Diego beaches over two weekends. The company sponsored bats for participants.
• Ohio Cup / Ohio Village MuffinscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhoenix Bats has been associated with the Ohio Cup vintage base ball festival for years. Company founder Charley Trudeau played with and crafted bats for the Ohio Village Muffins vintage team. The connection represents the company's origins in vintage baseball.
• Crossroads BaseballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhoenix Bats sponsors the Crossroads Baseball Fall Baseball League series taking place across the Midwest including Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York.
• Chillicothe PaintsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhoenix Bats has provided bats for the Chillicothe Paints collegiate summer team playing in the Prospect League. The team features college talent from across the United States with alumni currently playing professional baseball.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marucci Sports: Marucci is a leading custom wood and metal bat manufacturer serving pro, collegiate, amateur, and youth players — Phoenix Bats' closest direct competitor in the custom wood bat category, also producing signature pro player models.
• Louisville Slugger (Hillerich & Bradsby): Louisville Slugger is the iconic American wood baseball bat manufacturer, now owned by Wilson Sporting Goods, producing pro-grade custom and stock wood bats used across MLB — directly comparable to Phoenix Bats in product, customer, and pro-endorsement positioning.
• Victus Sports: Victus crafts custom professional wood bats favored by MLB players and was acquired by Marucci; it competes with Phoenix Bats in the pro-grade custom wood bat niche with a similar high-end, customization-led value proposition.
• Sam Bat: Sam Bat pioneered the maple wood bat in MLB and is a Canadian premium custom wood bat maker serving professional players — overlapping directly with Phoenix Bats in materials, customer segments, and signature-model business.
• Old Hickory Bat Company: Old Hickory is a US-based manufacturer of custom and stock wood baseball bats, including pro models, directly competing with Phoenix Bats across MLB, collegiate, and amateur channels on craftsmanship and turnaround time.
• MaxBat: MaxBat produces premium custom wood bats with proprietary finishes and pro-player endorsements, marketing itself on craftsmanship and material quality — closely matching Phoenix Bats' positioning and pricing tier.

Broad incumbents

• Rawlings: Rawlings is a major full-line baseball equipment brand offering wood bats alongside gloves, balls, and metal bats; competes with Phoenix Bats as a broader incumbent rather than a wood-specialist, but serves overlapping MLB and amateur customers.
• Easton: Easton is one of the largest baseball bat makers globally, dominant in aluminum and composite bats but also offering wood bats; competes with Phoenix Bats on the bat category broadly while specializing in metal/composite where Phoenix does not play.
• Mizuno USA: Mizuno is a global sporting goods brand whose baseball bat portfolio includes wood and metal options for pro and amateur play, serving overlapping customer segments to Phoenix Bats from a much broader equipment footprint.
• DeMarini: DeMarini (owned by Wilson Sporting Goods) is a major baseball bat manufacturer best known for composite and aluminum bats but with wood bat offerings, competing with Phoenix Bats as an incumbent across amateur and pro channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phoenixbats
• Facebookfacebook.com/phoenix-bats-118089840912
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phoenixbats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Phoenix Bats