Happy Holidays from the Rush!

Watch as the Rush tests its strength against some popular holiday decorations! Let us know what you want to see crushed next!

Rush vs. a Santa toy

Rush vs. a yard reindeer

Rush vs. a nutcracker

Improving the Rush

My title is Product Field Test Coordinator, which basically means that any of our products from Rawlings, Worth, and Miken have the potential of being put in my hands for field testing. I have to make contact with players of all levels as well as baseball and softball coaches. I go through them to set up tests with our prototype equipment. Some of the tests are live tests in which I set up our innovative SCI-FLY system that tracks batted ball speed, distance, and various other factors of performance. We also conduct durability testing which seems simple but is quite helpful in deciding whether or not to go into production with a certain bat or type of ball. For this testing I usually have a coach or instructor take possession of the prototype and control the test on their own over a period of typically 1-3 weeks. When enough testers have put enough hits on the bat to have it pass as durable and provided us with feedback, we get it back and run some final tests before making decisions on what still needs improved or what is ready for production. I compile all of the feedback that I receive (both GOOD AND BAD) and report it in a more organized manner to our test group that's made up of a bunch of engineers. From here, they really dig into the issues of the bat that need improvement and do their best to modify and fix any problems that may exist so that the future of our bats have a better outlook every year!

Specifically with the Rush line of bats, I hear plenty of good feedback overall but there always seems to be the debate of which is better, the Rush Gold or the Rush Composite. I tell players that it really depends on their size, swing speed, and swing type, and the best way to figure out if you hit better with the 2-piece Rush Gold or the 1-piece Rush Composite is to try them out. You can't go wrong with either, but there is always a "best choice" for each individual player.

Actually, some people may have already heard that the next generation Rush is coming out in the spring of 2008, and let me tell you, these bats look nice! I've had a few of these bats in the field and after testing, the reviews have been stellar! Our test groups feel that the future of the Rawlings bats is a very positive one! I think its safe to say these new Rush bats will be even bigger on the market than our past Rush line because once players start hitting bombs in the games with them, everyone will want their own! Keep your eyes open this coming spring!

Chad Caldwell
Product Field Test Coordinator

Happy Halloween from the Rush bat!!

Check out the cool video below of our Rush bat slicing right through a pumpkin!!

Crush with the Rush

So over the last few weeks, we've been testing out the Rush's crushing ability. So far, we've hit a a grapefruit, a bag of flour, a head of lettuce, and a gallon of milk among other things. The gallon of milk had to be my favorite; it was awesome to see the milk spray towards the cameras, but it actually soaked the whole right side of my body! Check out the video below of the Rush hitting a frozen chicken. It's pretty cool. What do you want to see the Rush and I crush next??

Dennis Turner
Rawlings National Promotions Manager
"The guy in the Rush videos"

Do not attempt this at home!! This was done in a controlled environment with a trained professional.

Here's some more cool videos of the Rush crushing other items:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvopleKlVrQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2HO4hDET6U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iTio2E9V1I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81pKsgj--Lo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2DNRJ9gOmU

Review the Rush

We want to hear what you think of the new Rush....Does it perform? Do you like the looks? Let us know your opinion of the Rush Comp or Rush Gold and we'll get it posted.

Lindsey Naber
Asst. Marketing Manager
Rawlings Sporting Goods

The Science of Seeding

Seeding (allowing players to try out our product before it hits the stores) provides an opportunity to create genuine excitement and momentum for our bats. It also gives us an early gauge of our bats performance and reception among our athletes. The Rawlings sales force is primarily responsible for who gets seeded with bats. The relationships they have formed within their territories provide us with the greatest accessibility to our athletes; it's a tremendous asset.

We try not to complicate the process. Basically, each Rawlings sales rep is allocated about 18 bats - they list the styles and sizes they want, and we ship them out. After that, it's up to the rep. Some hold bat demo days at schools; others pass them along to coaches or dealers where they try them out for a week or so. We gauge feedback by giving short surveys, maybe a quick interview, but my favorite is when the batting practices are video taped. Our goal is to have bats in stock within two months after our seeds have hit the fields.

We are always looking for ways to improve the performance of our products; in fact some of the feedback is being incorporated in our next generation of bats. Let’s just say, it’s not something we take litely.

I look forward to hearing what you think of the Rush.

Adam Shupe
Asst. Product Manager: Bats/Balls
Rawlings Sporting Goods

Testing out the Rush

In the design process we do a lot of testing with players of all different ages and skill levels. It is important for us to get feedback from a variety of players to figure out what flex will be preferred by the majority of players. For example, many high school and college players felt that the Fusion handle was “too flexible” which led to the design of this year’s Rush Gold handle – 50% stiffer than the Fusion handle. We do a lot of what is called “blind testing” – this means that we make bats that look the same but use different components (for example different handles) and ask players to hit with them and tell us which one they like best. We ask the players to rank the bats in several different categories including hit distance, feel & balance, and least amount of sting. We will travel all around the country to make sure we get feedback from all types of players – from 10 year old kids to elite college players. This year we used more than 200 players in our testing including some of the best high school and college players. The results led to the design of the 2 different bats in the Rush series. Both bats have excellent performance in terms of hit distance but they each have a different feel to the player. We found that some players really like the added whip they get with the more flexible Rush Gold handle and some players prefer the much stiffer handle on the Rush Comp. The only question left is which bat do you prefer?

Becky Shaw
Rawlings Project Engineer, Bats