2nd String Sports

2nd String Sports Providing new and quality used sporting goods to the Valley and beyond since 2012. We provide Combat baseball and softball bats and equipment.

We carry Wilson, Louisville Slugger, Demarini, Evoshield, Rawlings, Easton, Marucci, Lizard Skins and more. 1st String Quality; 1st String Service. 2nd String Sports. There are thousands of families around the Commonwealth that are involved in athletics. Each year kids need helmets, cleats, gloves, balls, etc, and let’s be honest, these are not cheap. If your family is like ours, you probably have

a garage full of quality sports equipment and apparel that was once used and now simply taking up space and collecting dust. Our goal is that families like yours will be able to upgrade equipment and recycle new or gently used gear back into the community. We want to provide families with quality sports equipment and apparel at quality prices. We also realize that there are some items that families would like to be able to purchase new - whether it's a composite bat, a fielders mask, apparel or accessories. As a result, we have reached out to several companies who support our approach and have become authrorized dealers for them. We are a dealer for Wilson, Demarini, Easton and Louisville Slugger. We have partnered with Champro Sports to provide sporting goods at prices much less than the big name companies with similar quality. Finally, we carry Lizard Skins bat grips, Eye Black stickers and grease, Total Control training balls, Bownets and Augusta Sportswear apparel. Through relationships we have developed through these companies, we are also able to provide many other brands as requested by you, our customer, often at better prices than any competitor. We love being a part of our community, and we strive to make a difference while running a successful business. We thank you for your support and look forward to growing our company in a way that will serve the needs of the community.

We had a great week in Texas at the NBS meeting. Coming home with several new vendors and lots of new products. We are e...
06/04/2026

We had a great week in Texas at the NBS meeting. Coming home with several new vendors and lots of new products. We are excited to share them with you all.

We are stocked up with anything you need for the playoffs, all-stars and travel tournaments. Be on the lookout for new p...
05/29/2026

We are stocked up with anything you need for the playoffs, all-stars and travel tournaments. Be on the lookout for new products that come out over the next few weeks as well, some may have already arrived.

We will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Normal hours resume Tuesday.
05/24/2026

We will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Normal hours resume Tuesday.

Let's talk about Exit Velocity. With the rise of video marketing and social media influencers in the baseball and softba...
05/18/2026

Let's talk about Exit Velocity.

With the rise of video marketing and social media influencers in the baseball and softball space, exit velocity has become a hot topic. Some creators base their videos around max exit velocity and use it as the main piece of data to rank bats. This often results in phone calls looking for whatever bat got the newest high exit velocity.

As a big analogy guy, I like to describe using max exit velocity as the reason for purchasing a bat as buying a car based on it's top speed. It's a variable to consider, but using it as the main reason is as sensible as buying a top fuel dragster to use as your daily driver.

While you should consider it as part of the reason to look at a particular bat, other factors like the size of the sweet spot, how the bat affects your swing speed and what the bat gives you on mish*ts should be more important in your purchasing decision.

While high-end bat technology is designed to maximize energy transfer upon contact, it can only do its job if the barrel is moving fast. If a bat is too heavy and slows a player's hands down by even a few miles per hour, the high-tech features are completely canceled out. True, game-changing power starts with the hitter's mechanics and speed.

Exit velocity can be affected by several factors. Hotness of the bat is part of it, but swing speed and pitch speed are as well. Swing speed is the ultimate contributor to achieving the best exit velocity. On average, a 1 mile-per-hour drop in swing speed because a bat is too heavy, too long, or weighted incorrectly for you, would require the bat to be 10% hotter just to achieve the same exit velocity. Because bat regulations strictly cap how 'hot' a manufacturer can legally make a barrel, that 10% performance headroom simply doesn't exist if you are already swinging a quality bat. This means buying an oversized or improperly balanced bat in hopes of more power will almost always backfire, leaving your hard-earned exit velocity on the table.

So, how do you beat the hype and find the right bat?

You stop looking at what a bat did in a hands of a grown man hitting perfect-perfect on TikTok, and you start looking at what a bat does in your hands.

The 'hottest' bat on the market isn't the one with the highest recorded max exit velocity online. It’s the one that matches your current strength, allows you to maintain optimal barrel control, and lets you maximize your natural swing speed.

Don't buy a daily driver based on dragster specs. Let’s get you dialed into a bat that actually fits your swing.

05/01/2026

Happy May 1st! Several Demarini and Louisville Slugger bat models have reduced pricing as of today. Our pricing has been changed to reflect the reductions.

Fastpitch Softball:
2025 Louisville Slugger LXT $399.95 to $279.95
2026 Demarini Future $449.95 to $309.95
2026 Demarini Lotus $399.95 to $239.95
2025 Demarini Spryte $249.95 to $194.95
2025 Demarini Zenith $179.95 to $129.95
2025 Louisville Slugger Proven $149.95 to $109.95
2025 Louisville Slugger Nexus $249.95 to $179.95

BBCOR Baseball:
2026 Demarini Omega $399.95 to $249.95
2026 Demarini Omega V2 $399.95 to $299.95
2026 Demarini Exile (Stock Edition) $349.95 to $299.95
2026 Louisville Slugger Omaha $349.95 to $299.95

Travel (USSSA) Baseball:
2026 Demarini Zen (Stock Edition) $399.95 to $249.95

USA Baseball:
2026 Demarini Goods $249.95 to $199.95
2026 Demarini Voodoo One $199.95 to $179.95
2026 Louisville Slugger Select PWR $299.95 to $249.95
2026 Louisville Slugger Atlas $249.95 to $199.95

Minimum advertised pricing reductions usually occur a couple of months before the next year bat models are released. These price reductions are applied to all our current inventory. If we are out of particular sizes in these lines, we will not be restocking them at this time. The bat models not listed here continue at previous pricing. Take advantage of the further reductions before they are gone!

Let’s talk BBCOR. As to not write a 10-page dissertation about BBCOR baseball bats, I think it is best if we just stick...
04/30/2026

Let’s talk BBCOR.

As to not write a 10-page dissertation about BBCOR baseball bats, I think it is best if we just stick to a quick explanation. We are happy to go much further in the store with customers if this “did you know” style post is less than you want to know about the subject.

Did you know BBCOR stands for Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution?

The stamp has BBCOR and 0.50 on it. Think of it as a testing regulation that basically assures that the combination of the baseball and barrel wall produces a trampoline (or elastic like) reaction that does not result in the ball leaving the barrel wall at more than 50% (0.50) of the incoming pitch speed when the bat is stationary. Think of it as a speed limit for your bat. Every model of bat with the BBCOR stamp has passed a lab test prior to certification. That test involves shooting a baseball at a stationary bat at 136mph. If the ball leaves the bat at more than 68mph, the bat is not BBCOR compliant. The 0.50 was chosen as it best represents the performance of a wood bat. (For those that play travel, your bats are somewhere between 0.55 and 0.60 on the same scale, which is almost 20% more trampoline effect.)

Did you know BBCOR is the same standard used in college baseball?

While you will start swinging BBCOR as a 13- or 14-year-old (13+ Babe Ruth, JV, many 14U+ travel tourneys), you will swing BBCOR through high school and college game play. We often point this out to those entering the BBCOR world when answering the next question in the store.

Did you know that there is no “hottest” BBCOR Bat?

As discussed earlier, BBCOR bat performance is heavily regulated. There will not be a bat that performs hotter than the maximum allowed standard. There are certainly bats that do not perform at the maximum allowed standard, but ultimately the biggest factor in how good a BBCOR bat is in your hands is how well it fits your swing. Since you swing BBCOR from 13-14 years old through your last eligible year in college, there is a wide range of bats with different attributes. The goal is to pick the one that fits you the best at the current time.

Did you know the weight listed on BBCOR bats is not an accurate representation of how the bat swings?

While the BBCOR standard is -3 (Drop 3 – the difference in weight and length, i.e., 31 inch 28 ounce), many bats weigh more than the sticker says they do. Drop 3 is the minimum weight for any BBCOR bat. Some weigh significantly more or swing significantly heavier than drop 3. Every bat is different. This is yet another reason we invested in a demo cage and invest yearly in demo bats. Swing it before you buy it!

We hope this helps make BBCOR a little easier to understand. We pride ourselves on offering 1st String Quality and Service but understanding our products is equally important. Your players are inundated with videos trying to hype up performance of bats and influence buying decisions. We watch them and try to separate the fact from fiction to help protect your wallet.

We mentioned when we were invited to join the Nation's Best Sports buying group last year that we would be able to broad...
04/28/2026

We mentioned when we were invited to join the Nation's Best Sports buying group last year that we would be able to broaden our product offerings. We have added Adidas Wrestling, G Form and Mizuno for baseball and softball, G Form for soccer. We have added store branded cushioned top buckets, and we have recently started expanding our "Day at the Field" section to include WeatherPods, folding chairs, benches, seat cushions and more.

Today, we are excited to announce we have received our trial order of Hey Dude shoes. Known for their signature lightweight feel and effortless slip-on style, these versatile favorites are the perfect post-game relief for your feet or a laid-back choice for everyday wear.

The trial shipment includes a couple of men's and women's options. The Wally Americana II and Wally Hey2O are available in men's sizes. The Wendy Stretch Jersey and Wendy Funk Beach Woven are available in women's sizes. If the addition is well received and moves well for us, we will certainly expand the offerings.

Come in and check them out!

I mentioned we would do a deeper dive on different baseball bat stamps. Today, we will start by discussing USA Baseball ...
04/27/2026

I mentioned we would do a deeper dive on different baseball bat stamps. Today, we will start by discussing USA Baseball Bats.

USA Baseball bats are youth baseball bats with the USA Baseball stamp. These bats were introduced for youth baseball in 2018 and are the requirement locally for Little League or Babe Ruth (Cal Ripken) baseball.

USA Baseball Bats are youth baseball bats that meet the performance standard established by USA Baseball, the national governing body for the sport. This standard was introduced in 2018 to make non-wood bats perform more like traditional wood bats. They have a very limited trampoline effect, meaning the ball does not jump off the bat as fast as it does with travel bats. The barrels on USA Baseball bats can be up to 2 5/8" in diameter. The bats can be constructed of alloy, composite or both - there is no restriction as they all have to pass the same performance test.

So, why are some USA Baseball bats significantly less expensive than others if they all have the same performance restrictions?

It's less about what happens when you hit the ball perfectly - they are all pretty similar - versus what happens when you do not hit it perfectly.

The "nicer" USA Baseball bats are made of higher grade alloy or composite (carbon fiber). These materials allow for a larger sweet spot, making it easier to hit the ball to get maximum performance. These better materials also help reduce sting when you do not find the sweet spot. If you have seen kids swinging these bats in practice or games, you have undoubtedly seen a kid hit a ball and drop the bat looking at their hands. It will happen occasionally with nicer bats, but it happens frequently with cheaper bats. The fear of the sting often results in kids being afraid to swing hard - thus reducing the performance even further.

So, do you need to buy a $350 bat?

No - not at all. There are numerous bats well below that number that provide a good sweet spot and a manageable level of sting on bad hits. Looking at new prices, most bats over $100 are going to provide this. We often tell customers that for us, between $100 and $200 seems to be the best combo of performance, forgiveness and value amongst the new bats. Bats like the Louisville Slugger Omaha, Marucci Code, Demarini Voodoo One, Marucci Cat X Reckless and others fall in this category. Obviously, we sell used bats too, so you can get that cost down even further.

Will a $350 composite bat give my kid an advantage?

Yes and no. Believe it or not, we rarely mention $350 bats like the Easton Hype Fire or Rawlings Icon (composites) when discussing our personal favorite bats. That is not because they are not good - they are.

The issue we have found over the years with this price point is sizing. Because of the way USA Baseball bats are regulated, these composite bats - by rule - cannot be hotter than alloys. Since composite barrels have more elasticity than alloy, the player has to swing hard enough to compress the walls fully to get the same exit velocity as an alloy. If they do, they get all the advantages of the price which are a huge sweet spot, no sting and maximum allowed exit velocity. But, when spending that much money, whoever is paying wants the player to not outgrow the bat before next season and that can lead to issues. Going up a size and choking up reduces swing speed. Reduction in swing speed in a composite USA Baseball bat results in less compression of the barrel, and thus, less exit velocity than an alloy in that situation.

We often compare USA Baseball bats to minivans. You can buy a top of the line minivan with every option available or you can buy a reliable minivan without all those options. You are likely going to get to the same places, but those with the nicer minivan will be more comfortable getting there and look forward to making trips more often. You can buy one that is not reliable and end up having to shop again.

USA Baseball bats are very similar. The difference between bad (unreliable) and nice (reliable) is pretty drastic. But the difference between nice and elite is less about performance and more about how often you run into problems.

We hope this helps it make a little more sense. It is our job to know these things and are always here to answer your questions. In addition to answering your questions, we invest a lot in our demo cage to help your player choose the perfect bat for them and for your budget.

If you ordered a Stuarts Draft Babe Ruth League fan jersey on or before April 9th, your jerseys are in. You should have ...
04/17/2026

If you ordered a Stuarts Draft Babe Ruth League fan jersey on or before April 9th, your jerseys are in. You should have gotten a text or email (or both). The next batches arrive next week. Thanks for supporting the league! Stuarts Draft Babe Ruth League

Do you find baseball bat rules confusing? The answer is most likely: YES! We thought it would be helpful to break down t...
04/15/2026

Do you find baseball bat rules confusing? The answer is most likely: YES!

We thought it would be helpful to break down the rules to better help explain the what and why of baseball bats. We will be following this discussion with a more detailed look at each category of baseball bats (and then softball bats) over the next several days. For today, we will focus on the different stamps on baseball bats.

USA Baseball Bats:

USA Baseball is the newest of the 3 main baseball bat regulations. USA Baseball bats are used for Little League and Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken play locally (6-12 years old). These bats have a stamp on the handle that says USA Baseball (see images).

By rule, these bats can be up to 2 5/8" in diameter. Weight and length is not regulated. The USA Baseball standard started in 2018 to help improve safety as the old little league bats and player talent discrepancy resulted in dangerous playing conditions. The USA Baseball standard results in much lower exit velocities than the bats used in the past.

We will go deeper into USA Baseball bats, and the other categories, in the near future to help better explain them.

USSSA Baseball (Travel) Bats:

USSSA Bats are frequently referred to as travel bats. Locally, these bats can only be used for travel. They have what is referred to as the thumbprint USSSA Baseball 1.15BPF stamp (see image). These bats are normally 2 3/4" diameter and come in several different weight variations.

Travel bats produce much higher exit velocities than USA Baseball bats, and hence, are restricted to use in travel play mainly. There are different weight regulations based on your age, which we will discuss in our future post deep-diving on travel bats. The biggest take home is the bats with the USSSA stamp are not allowed in Little League or Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken play.

BBCOR Baseball Bats:

BBCOR (Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution) is the mandatory performance standard for high school, college, 13 and over Little League and Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken and older travel ball.

BBCOR bats are similar to USA Baseball in that they have reduced trampoline effect versus Travel bats, but unlike USA Baseball bats, all BBCOR bats cannot be lighter than -3 swing weight. BBCOR bats are the only bats in all of diamond sports where the weight of the bat is tested and part of receiving the certification.

So, if you are playing in a league 13 or over, that is not travel, you are most likely required to use BBCOR. If you are playing high school or college, you are required to use BBCOR. In travel, a lot of tournaments have gone to BBCOR for 14U, but everyone in travel uses BBCOR 15 and older.

Like the other stamps, we will do a deeper breakdown of BBCOR in the near future.

We hope this helps a little. We know it can be confusing to understand the rules, but the summation would be - travel bats are much higher performance than USA Baseball and BBCOR so their use is restricted to younger travel players. Little League and Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken is USA Baseball only until you are 13, then they become BBCOR - never USSSA.

Bonus nugget: What is -3? What does drop mean? Drop is the most confusing way possible to discuss the weight of a bat relative to its length. -10 (drop 10): The bat's weight is 10 less than its length, ex 29 inch 19 ounce. -8 (drop 8): The bat is heavier in relation to its length than a -10, ex 30 inch 22 ounce.

Address

2627 Stuarts Draft Highway Ste 105/107
Stuarts Draft, VA
24477

Opening Hours

Monday 10:30am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 10:30am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday 10:30am - 6:30pm
Friday 10:30am - 6:30pm
Saturday 10:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+15409998039

Website

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