Former players turn hobby into MLB-worthy craft

Two former local baseball players have hit a backyard hobby out of the park, literally. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco explains.

Paul Lamatia and Ryan Lapensee have hit a backyard hobby out of the park. They turned a passion into a big-league business with their custom-made bats, now being swung by Major League Baseball players.

They were at a recent Philadelphia Phillies game and watched Nick Castellanos hit a homerun for the hometown team

“We were jumping out of our seats,” Lamantia told CTV News.

The solo shot didn’t help the Phillies win, but the homer was a major victory for Backyard Bats, a company the former Essex-County ball players run.

“There’s 40,000 people at that game so the stadium was going nuts and me and Paul are just jumping up and down, hugging each other like little kids again,” Lapensee said.

It was a dream come true for Lamantia, “I think it was always in the back of my mind somewhere. I did dream about it. I don’t think you can ever imagine that you’d have superstars like Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper swinging it.”

After 30 years, Louisville is no longer the official bat of Major League Baseball, which opened the door for companies like Backyard Bats.

They received their MLB certification in January and then travelled to Florida for spring training visiting camps held by the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, among others.

“On a whim, we showed up at the Phillies clubhouse and their clubhouse manager was incredible to us. Phil Sheridan was very receptive to bringing us in and letting us talk to his guys,” Lamantia explained.

Now more Philly players are using the bat that local Essex-County players have been using for years.

“It’s really like balanced and I like the styles and just the versatility that you can have through it,” said Aiden Dotterman, who is a catcher with the Tecumseh Rangers.

James Casey has been swinging the bat more lately because of his custom-made bat, “I swung that before Bryce Harper did. I swung before the MLB players did. I’ve known about it longer so it’s almost like a little brag too. It’s pretty cool to have that in our community.”

It all started at a house on Francois Street in Windsor. Paul’s grandfather learned how to turn a bat in the family shed. Paul picked up the craft and started making bats for himself and teammates.

“Even when he played at Wayne State (University in Michigan) he’d come back and play for us in the summer and Backyard Bats would be swinging around Lacasse Park for sure,” said Tecumseh Thunder head coach Jamie Kell. “I’m glad to hear his stories.”

Stories that continue to be written because Lamantia held on to his grandfather’s legacy.

“I carried my grandpa with me throughout my entire playing career. I wrote his initials in the batter’s box every time I stepped in there so watching these guys go to the plate with the bat is that very same feeling so it’s very special,” said Lamantia who partnered with Lapensee last year.

Together, they hope to increase their batting average with more players walking up to the plate with a backyard bat.

“We’re just going to continue to be hyper aggressive for the next five years and try and hit that market share,” Lapensee said. “Who knows where it’s going to lead us to.”

The business is based in Michigan, but Backyard Bats is looking at increasing production on the Canadian side.