PROGRAM 15, the Official Global Grassroots Player Identification and Development Program for New Balance Baseball announces Marucci Sports as the official equipment provider of bats, fielding gloves, baseballs, catchers gear, and helmets for The New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series.
Known for their unwavering commitment to innovation and pushing the game of baseball and it’s amateur athletes into new territories PROGRAM 15 has selected Marucci, the Number One bat in the Big Leagues, to be the official supplier of bats, fielding gloves, baseballs, catchers gear, and helmets to the World and National Team Rosters for the highly anticipated International Week coming up September 20-22 in Boston, MA.
The annual signature event of New Balance Baseball is an invitation-only series featuring international high school talent identified by PROGRAM 15’s National Staff of former Major League Players, Coaches and Scouts through Future Stars Series player development combines, scout days, partner events and national trials.
Jeremy Booth, PROGRAM 15 Founder, CEO and President of Baseball Operations for The New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series said, “When we started this, working with Marucci was something that we all felt made sense. I’ve known these guys for a long time now, and they’re good baseball people with a similar vision for players. The energies align pretty well. It’s really good to be back with them as part of the NB Future Stars Series family and to join theirs as well. We are excited for players to use their innovative glove technology among other elite items and on field performance products they supply, as well as see them at our events”.
PROGRAM 15 announced that Marucci will participate in all major Futures Stars Series events including the National Trials – Championship Tournaments as well as select Combines.
Marucci Vice President of Team Sales Kyle Achord, said “We are excited to partner with PROGRAM 15 and the Future Stars Series. We noticed their evolution into one of the premier training and development platforms in amateur baseball and felt like this was something we wanted to be a part of. The network of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches involved in their program speaks for itself. Marucci Sports has always been focused on growing the game of baseball around the world, and we believe this partnership will help forward that mission”.
ABOUT MARUCCI:
Marucci Sports was originally founded as Marucci Bat Company in 2004 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Kurt Ainsworth (former LSU All-American and MLB pitcher), Joe Lawrence (former LSU football player and MLB infielder), and Jack Marucci (Director of Athletic Training at LSU). Fast forward to the present and what started as a backyard hobby has now turned into an All-American success story as Marucci has become the fastest-growing brand in baseball and the No. 1 bat in the Big Leagues.
The founders began handcrafting wood bats for local kids and some of the best players in the Big Leagues from a small backyard shed. With an unparalleled attention to detail and the commitment to deliver players with the products they want and need to be successful, Marucci bats became a symbol of perfection to Big League hitters.
In 2009, with the same principals and core values that defined Marucci Bat Company, Reed Dickens (former White House Assistant Press Secretary under George W. Bush) joined Ainsworth and Lawrence in the founding of Marucci Sports to extend Marucci’s brand and product offering outside of wood bats.
Having attracted top talent from Louisiana and across the nation, the company has successfully expanded its product offering to include aluminum and composite bats, batting gloves, fielding gloves, bags, uniforms, protective gear, sunglasses, lifestyle apparel, and accessories. For more information about Marucci visit https://maruccisports.com/
ABOUT PROGRAM 15:
PROGRAM 15 boasts a faculty and staff that includes multiple Major League All-Stars and World Series veterans responsible for executing the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series, an initiative between the two organizations to elevate the game of baseball by providing amateur players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches. For more information on Program15 and the Future Stars Series, visit www.futurestarsseries.com or @program15bb and @ftrstarsseries on twitter.
ABOUT NEW BALANCE:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. Manufactured in the U.S. for over 75 years and representing a limited portion of our U.S. sales, New Balance Made U.S. is a premium collection that contains a domestic value of 70% or greater. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 6,000 associates around the globe, and in 2017 reported worldwide sales of $4 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.newsmarket.com.
