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Elder Hillerich cool to bat making

Bud Hillerich's father opposed this new enterprise. J.F. Hillerich's business thrived on turning roller skids, bed posts, tenpins, wooden bowling balls and the increasingly popular swinging churn. He saw little value in producing bats, which he regarded as trivial.

Despite his father's protests, Bud Hillerich continued making bats. It soon became a major part of the business. First called the "Falls City Slugger," it became known as the "Louisville Slugger" by 1894. Thanks to Pete Browning, the wonders of young Hillerich's bats swept the Eclipse team and the league. The Hillerich bat business took off.

Hillerich and his fellow workers turned bats from the player preferences they had committed to memory. They knew what weight, what length and what style the players liked. The Louisville Slugger trademark on each bat led to player names being branded on bat barrels. Until then, players had carved their initials or other identifying marks into the knob or barrel of their bats.

The Story Continues:Baseball legends hit with Louisville Slugger bats