Torpedo bats make their way to Buchanan county
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW)-- A record-tying 15 home runs in the first three games for the New York Yankees, brought attention to the wooden bats the club used.
The torpedo style bats caught the eyes of many fans. The style eventually made its way to St. Joseph.
Co-owner of Walkoff Wood Bat Co. Kevin Kerns said teams wanted torpedo bats made for the 54-team high school tournament, which is now in it's second year of running.
"It became big about a week and a half before the tournament and so a lot of teams, once they knew we were making torpedoes they ordered a few," Kerns said. "Then each weekend we sold out of torpedoes we had at the fields that we were selling."
The key difference between a regular bat and a torpedo, is the latter gets thicker near the handle quicker.
When measuring the two bats Kerns created, the torpedo is roughly a quarter inch thicker than the regular bat before the sticker. That quarter inch is taken off the tip of the bat by the head.
"The sweet spot is farther down towards the handle of the bat," Kerns said. "A lot of times if a kid miss hits a wood bat, they're hitting it off the handle. They get, instead of a break in or going nowhere, a little bit more out of it."
Kerns said, coaches made an effort to point out that kids in the tournament liked using the torpedo bats.
He said he was told by coaches, many of the kids in the tournament liked using the bats. He also noted the difference in the swing.
"The sweet spot is farther down towards the handle of the bat," Kerns said. "A lot of times if a kid miss hits a wood bat, they're hitting it off the handle. They get, instead of a break in or going nowhere, a little bit more out of it."
Kerns said, coaches made an effort to point out that kids in the tournament liked using the torpedo bats.
He said he was told my coaches, many of the kids in the tournament liked using the bats. He also noted the difference in the swing.
"(The torpedo) Lot smoother flow of the swing, more weights down towards your hands," Kerns said. "The concept "more meat on the handle" makes sense."
Wooden bats are most known for breaking, while only two torpedo's broke during the 2025 tournament, Kerns said the thickness by the handle should make it "more likely not to break."
While no high school teams hit 15 home runs like the Yankees did in the first three games of the season, loud cracks were heard across St. Joseph, Mo. during the tournament.
Kerns said, although the effectiveness of the bats have shown through, it's still uncertain whether they will continue to be used other tournaments.
"I don't know if it's going to stick around or if it's a fad but I did hear some kids really hit the ball well," Kerns said. "If they are hitting it well I don't see why they would go away from it."
