Orion Bats, located in Medina, Ohio, was created with the goal of making high-quality, performance-driven, visually distinctive baseball bats. We are a small bat company, which affords us the ability to give each and every bat that we produce the attention to detail that it deserves.
In mythology, Orion is the Hunter. Orion is also a prominent constellation. On the constellation, one of the most recognized features is Orion’s Belt. Just like Orion’s Belt has three stars, so does the Orion Bats logo. On the logo, the three stars represent our three core values: Craftsmanship, Performance, and Distinctiveness.
Our goal is to make bats that you have to ask yourself whether you want to use it or hang the bat on the wall as a show piece. We suggest that you use it as that is the intended purpose, but we have had customers that do the former and proudly display their bat like a work of art.
Along with craftsmanship, we take great pride in the finish of the bat. To enhance the durability and beauty of the bat, we dip the barrel and knob not once, but twice, in two different polyurethane coatings, sanding between the two layers. This provides an extremely hard, glass smooth surface and an unbelievable shine. Yes, this takes extra time. We don’t know what other bat companies do, but this is just an example of how we go the extra mile when it comes to attention to detail……quality over quantity……always.
We purposely don’t sell dozens of different turn models. We want to keep things simple and less confusing when it comes to selecting a bat model. We do, however, have many color options to help you design the bat look that is exactly what you want.
The founder of Orion Bats, Ron Barnhart, grew up in very rural Southwestern Pennsylvania. So far out in the country, there is not a stop light within 14 miles, that there’s no such thing as cable tv, city water, or other common conveniences. In fact, the water to the Barnhart farm house was sourced from a natural spring up on the hill with gravity creating the water pressure.
Since there were not many distractions, kids in the country learn certain skills early, such as working with wood building tree houses, dog houses, etc; riding dirt bikes, fixing things, mowing with the lawn tractor, hunting, and fishing in the creek. This is where Ron got his first experiences working with wood.
For three years during the late 1970’s, Ron’s family spent the school year in Apache Junction, Arizona. While at Apache Junction Junior High, Ron had wood shop class with Coach McVicker. This shop class, though basic, taught Ron a lot about wood working, especially how to design a piece, sanding, torching, and finishing.Â
After McGuffey High School, Ron graduated from Slippery Rock University with a degree in Sport Management. After a long career in the marketing field, his attention turned to baseball bats. The idea for starting a bat company came about after making several bats for his son who is a college baseball player. Like many other bat companies, once his teammates saw the bats, they wanted one also. We grew from there.
At Orion Bats, we take great pride in each and every bat we craft. Join the hunt and Swing for the Stars.