The History of Viper Bats

The history of Viper Bats dates back to my senior year of high school in 2003. Wood bat leagues in our area were scarce and the options for players looking to play at the next level were limited at best.

So what did we do? We decided to take matters into our own hands and started Skagit Valley Vipers Fall Wood Bat team.

The team was comprised of local prospects with the sole purpose of preparing us for the next level by teaching us how to hit with wood bats. At the time, use of wood bats was rare; maybe one or two players per team owned their own, which wouldn’t last for long. Luckily for us, one of our assistant coaches had a friend who owned Splitrock Bats and a relationship was formed.

When our season ended that November, Don called Kevin, owner of Splitrock, to let him know the bats were a huge success and to expect future orders. Kevin was glad to hear it but regretfully had to inform my dad that he would be closing up shop to pursue an opportunity to go play winter ball in Venezuela. It was that phone call that sparked the idea of Viper Bats.

I don’t know how many bats we went through that fall, but I can tell you it wasn’t many, and I still have a couple left. It was with that quality, the kind that can survive a bunch of high schoolers that were learning to hit with the logo up for the first time, that Viper Bats was founded on.

- Chris Fine