The Woody Bat Story

  The first Woody was hand carved from a maple tree branch in northern Illinois around July 4th of 1965. 9 year old Kevin "Woody" Collins used a steak knife borrowed from his mother's kitchen. The bat lasted for 4 seasons of daily sand lot play and was left buried in the snow in the winter. The memory of the durability of maple has surfaced and Kevin, now with over 30 years of carpentry experience is producing Woody's again. This time with a lathe.

Black Dog Bat Company

Started in July of 1999 by Jo Ann (teacher) and husband Kevin (carpenter) while traveling to a baseball tournament  in Cooperstown, New York. Named after their black dog Penny (mostly black)    because of the unusual luck players have been getting from rubbing their bat on her before going up to the plate. Penny relentlessly watches every pitch, retrieves foul balls and inspires players and fans alike. Penny has been featured in the Cooperstown Gazette and has been at amateur baseball tournaments in Texas, Colorado, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and New York. Lucky Dog!

Choose a stock model here...

WM 243 $50 Shaped like the L. S. model C243. The 34" model has a 2-9/16" barrel and a 29/32" handle.

WM 271 $50 Like the L. S. C271. The 34" model has a  2-1/2 barrel and 15/16 handle.

WM 141 $50 Like the L. S. model T141. The 34" model has a 2-9/16" barrel and a 31/32" handle.

...or click Custom Order

to order the size and shape of your choice.

All Models come with...

... the Woody logo, a bare (no finish) 50 grit sanded handle, lacquer finish, and our 30 day breakage guarantee* (if your Woody model breaks against the grain, from hitting a baseball, within 30 days of purchase, and you pay the return shipping, you will receive 50% off the retail price of a new Woody and a free muscle man t-shirt).

*does not include special custom orders, Ebay, or quantity discount sales.

Customize any stock model

We can customize your bat in several way.

1. Cupping $5
2. Custom colors (colors not shown) $5
3. Special text on barrel $3 per 15 characters
4. Signature $7 (fax or email a signature written with black ink or sharpie in a 3" area)
5. Custom graphics $10 per 4-6 sq. inch of covered area.
6. Make my Woody "Sosalite" $35 (not legal for game day)
7. Trophy bats

 Special Custom Orders

We can custom make any bat up to 36" in length and 3" thick. Custom orders start at $3 per inch for the first bat and $2 per inch for the next one. Call for prices on larger quantity discounts. Go to the Custom order page to order.

Finish Colors

• Clear lacquer

• Black and Tan

• Black and Rosewood

• Rosewood and Black

• Rosewood

• More coming soon...

MLB Approved?

No Thanks! Woody's are made from the same rock hard maple, the same tree species (Acer saccharum), and from the same area of the country as all MLB approved bats. We cater to amateur baseball. Those of you who play for the love of it rather than the green of it. Not that there's anything wrong with playing for money we just save over $5000 a year (MLB fee) by not seeking MLB approval. Our bats are hand turned in the "bat cave" (pictured below) a true garage business on a hand operated lathe, not an expensive CNC machine.

Good bat, costs less, saves you money, (wife happy), play more ball (you happy), buy more bats (my wife happy).