Big League Bats

(myfoxboston) - It's an all-familiar sound. The crack of a big hit off of a Major League slugger's bat.

Their weapon of choice is generally a Louisville Slugger, Rawlings, or other big name companies that are well established in the world of baseball.

Watch the report from FOX25's Adam Pellerin on the left

But now, there's a new player breaking into the lineup. A bat company based right here in New England, in Cranston, R.I.

"You grow up with something and it just becomes a part of you," said Rob Zorian, founder of Zorian Bat Company .

Zorian grew up in Somerville and played baseball at Suffolk University.

He coached at the college level for many years before beginning a new venture.

"I realized a lot of bats were breaking and there were different levels of bats and we could make a high-quality wood bat, and eventually if more high schools and colleges started using them there would be a pretty big market for that," said Zorian

Zorian and a good friend, who happened to be in the wood industry, began manufacturing bats in 2003 and marketing to ball players in every level of the game.

"In our first year of operation we sold under a thousand bats, now we are selling more than 5,000," said Zorian.

Former pro Mark Cahill, who now runs the Rhode Island Baseball Institute, says the difference between Zorian bats and other companies is that Major-League-grain wood is not available in stores.

"The top-of-the-line wood goes to the big league guys. The stock stuff goes to the stores. The middle-grain stuff goes to the minor league guys. That's why they say 'I've never swung wood like this before'," Cahill said.

Gary Stenhouse is convinced. The 20-year-old plays for Bentley University, a school that belongs to one of the few all-wood bat conferences in the country.

"I'm going to be pumped to use this in the spring. I've been using it all winter and have a really good feel for it. I can't wait to break it out," said Stenhouse.

Zorian is aiming to sell 10,000 bats this year. That's one step closer to playing with the big boys.