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has a strong business selling both baseball and soball through its team division and retail store. "In our team business, leagues, schools and teams are buying uniforms, baseballs, soballs, batting helmets, socks and some less expensive team bats for baseball and fast-pitch soball," reports team buyer Dan Proulx. And in the retail business, players are pur- chasing fielding gloves, batting gloves, batting helmets and expensive bats, according to Bud Hill, a baseball/softball sales specialist for Stateline Sports. While Stateline Sports sells slow-pitch soball gear, equipment and accessories, the business is not as brisk as it used to be. "Our slow-pitch business is down to one local co-ed league in our area," says Hill. Interestingly, one factor that limits more sales of baseball and fast-pitch soball is the existence of ice hockey season. "When it's hockey season, everybody plays hockey," explains Proulx. Steady Business in Michigan In Battle Creek, MI, spending is strong for baseball and fast-pitch soball throughout the year, but especially in the months leading up to spring and summer. "Uniform sales are steady," reports Cam Bortell, a sales associate at Jack Pearl's Sports Center. e primary baseball and soball clients start with youth baseball leagues and conclude with a handful of local college baseball teams. "While we do sell product to some travel teams, we have more business with high school baseball teams," says Bortell. When it comes to sales of actual baseballs, Rawlings may be the official ball of high school baseball in Michigan, but Jack Pearl's also sells baseballs from Wilson, Champro and Diamond. While cleats, bats, and gloves are product staples of the sports, Jack Pearl's does not sell cleats, its bat business is minimal and it only generates business for fielding gloves when teams place an order. "For the most part, kids are on their own when it comes to bats and gloves," he says. Still, according to Bortell, Jack Pearl's does sell a variety of items that pertain to both baseball and fast-pitch or either one on its own such as bases, soballs, pitching screens, hitting tees, batting gloves, socks, belts, hats for boys, visors for girls, protective masks for girls and practice apparel. Down in Fort Worth, TX, Carey's Sporting Goods remains a school-oriented team dealer for both sports. "About 98 percent of our business is with schools," explains owner Dan Carey. "We know what we do best. We have great relationships with our area schools and coaches." e popularity of baseball and fast-pitch soball in Texas is reflected in sales of those two categories. "We sell baseball and fast-pitch soball across the board," says Carey. "We sell uniforms, practice apparel, socks, belts, baseballs, soballs, batting gloves, catcher's equipment and all types of field equipment." e high level of interest in fast-pitch soball in Texas was reflected in the fact that the two finalists in this year's Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City were a pair of teams from the Lone Star State — the University of Texas and Texas Tech University. n sportstylemag.com • sportstyle July/August 2025 • 53

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