A sports tech startup is celebrating its latest win following a partnership with one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of baseball equipment, which is now making the first smart-equipped bat approved for use by the United States Specialty Sports Association.
Diamond Kinetics (DK), based in Pittsburgh, announced that Marucci Sports' new Marucci CATX Smart bat comes equipped with DK sensor tech embedded right into the product across three different sizes, which will all retail for $299 when it starts shipping on Dec. 6 to youth baseball players who order it.
This bat from Marucci will be able to track various performance data metrics relating to swings so that players can then monitor their progress via the paired DK mobile app. The bat can do this with technology that's been built into it directly, a new approach compared to how DK has previously offered players insights into their swings and improvement over time, which has required the attaching of equipment to baseball bats.
“The Marucci CATX Smart is a direct lens into the future of the game of baseball,” CJ Handron, co-founder and CEO of DK, said in a statement. “This new bat will help athletes get better insight into their game and make hitting experiences more fun with access to real-time swing metrics, guided hitting sessions, missions and challenges. There is no reason that every bat can’t be a smart bat, and we are thrilled to continue to drive innovation in the game in partnership with Marucci.”
These aluminum bats don't weigh more than other bats of their size, DK said and they also don't need to be charged due to how the internal battery is designed and powered.
"We believe this smart bat will be a game-changer for the sport and will provide athletes with the chance to personalize their development at practice, in the backyard, and in competition," Kurt Ainsworth, co-founder and CEO of Marucci Sports, said in a statement. "Marucci and Diamond Kinetics are committed to innovation, developing supportive and responsible technology to grow the game of baseball and equip the next generation of players with tools to stay engaged, succeed on the diamond, and most importantly, have fun.”
DK's partnership with Marucci is the latest of many other collaborations the firm has made over the past year.
In August, DK partnered with the business arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association to bring training content and challenges from some of the league's biggest stars to the startup's app platform.
And in June, DK extended a partnership with USA Baseball to bring new content to its mobile app, which in addition to tracking performance metrics also includes challenges and games for players to compete in.
Diamond Kinetics has raised over $13.2 million in outside investment funding since its founding in 2013.
