Tillsonburg Bat Maker Heading to MLB Spring Training

Friday, 31 January 2020 11:17

Three years ago, Trevor Oakes was making bats at his home, while working at Toyota and now he is heading to MLB Spring training.

TILLSONBURG - Owner and Operator of abo Baseball in Tillsonburg has moved from a factory job to the Major Leagues.

Avid ball player, Trevor Oakes started making his own bats three years ago, frustrated with the ones he was using, for breaking all the time. He started making his own bats at his home and using them at his games with the Senior men's team in Tillsonburg. Oakes says he started selling a couple of bats to his buddies.

"Then all of sudden my buddies and teammates wanted bats and we linked up with an ex pro guy, he wanted bats, so I thought, well this could be a business. I rolled with it for two years, just trying to build the business, while still working 50 hours a week at Toyota."

Oakes came to the realization that if he was going to make it as a bat maker, he needed to quit his job at Toyota. It wasn't an easy decision, he liked working there and the security it offered, however he felt that he needed to give bat making a try. Oakes is currently operating abo Baseball out of Tillsonburg you can stop by any time and they will make a bat for you.

"We have the bat manufacturing part in there along with batting cages, golf simulator, it is just a fun place to come hang out. We have it set up so the kids or players can watch me make them a bat, while they are practicing, hitting in the cages or golfing. We kind of set it up like Krispy Kreme Donuts, you can hit balls and I'll make your bat while your in there and you can see it being done. So that is one thing we offer, we offer players to come in and I'll make you a bat right then and there, I'll let you pick out your own wood, you get to hit some balls and then you get the bat a couple of days later, when I've finished making them."

Oakes mostly uses Maple and Yellow birtch bats and can also make an ash bat. He started abo Baseball in his house and he named the company from the initials of his kids. They currently have the facility in Tillsonburg and he was recently approved as an official MLB bat supplier. Oakes was in Wisconsin this week to complete the MLB certification for training and to make sure he was meeting MLB standards. He says the next step is to head to Spring Training this year and hopefully a few pro's will like his bats.

"So we will be at Spring Training with a booth set up with bats and demo bats that players can swing and check out and order right then and there. We leave for Arizona on February 26th, we are there for 12 days and we are going to try and make it to every big league camp. So that was my day yesterday was just on the phone, on the computer, emailing coaches, hitting coaches, equipment managers, setting up our schedule for those 12 days. So it is kind of crazy to think, that just 3 years ago, I was just making bats in my shop and yesterday I was on the phone with legit Major League coaches, it's kind of surreal."

You can stop by his shop at 37 Tillson Street and we will be following up with Oakes over the next couple of months.