Play Ball! Dinger Bats at the Ready in the Dugout
Every kid in the batter’s box wants to hit a “Dinger!!” over the outfield fence. Ridgway native Kyle Drone is no exception, and his company Dinger Bats has just the bat for every player – no matter what age or level – from wood bat leagues to the majors.
Kyle’s love for baseball began as a toddler when his dad Randy used to throw him Wiffle balls in the family living room. Kyle’s early baseball career started in right field as the youngest player on a Khoury league team when he was five years old. School ball and Little League followed along with American Legion ball, JUCO and Lambuth University baseball, and then a stint with independent baseball. He eventually worked for a pro-ball team, which prompted him to start his own business.
While in college, he had started fashioning bats for himself and his friends. When those friends took his bats with them when they moved up to the minor league and then the majors, a business idea was born. A few years later, his dad stepped up to the plate to partner with Kyle.
“I have always loved baseball,” Kyle says. His favorite all-time player is former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Willie McGee. “Dinger Bats is based on the idea that no matter what league you play in, or what level you play at, you should be able to experience the same quality craftsmanship of maple wood that the pros use.”
Dinger Bats is based in Ridgway, Illinois, where Kyle likes to joke their factory is in a county without a full red, yellow and green light anywhere. Located just north of the Shawnee National Forest, the local community has long filled the stands to cheer on Dinger Bats.
“We’ve always had the best support from southern Illinois from people who still live here to friends who have moved on to become big league managers, players and coaches,” he says. The company’s focus remains simple: to offer players at every stage of the game an S3 assurance: Superior Wood; Superior Craftmanship; and Superior Customer Service.
Judging from the list of major league players who use Dinger Bats in the pros, Kyle’s business continues to hit well above average. Look for him and Dinger Bats at the ballpark this spring!
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