The Rawlings and COMBAT bats relationship has made an impact. Walk into a college baseball dugout today and you’ll see a familiar mix of BBCOR bats—Louisville Slugger, Marucci, Easton, Victus—and increasingly, COMBAT.
For younger players searching for the best BBCOR bats, COMBAT might look like a newer brand. It’s not. COMBAT built its reputation years ago on high-performance composite bats, known for large sweet spots, hot barrels, and a feel that serious hitters trusted.
Then the brand seemed to disappear from the BBCOR bat conversation.
It didn’t—it just got quieter.
In 2013, Rawlings acquired COMBAT in what now looks like one of the smartest long-term moves in the baseball bat market. At the time, Rawlings already dominated gloves, helmets, and baseballs, but lacked a strong presence among the best BBCOR bat brands.
Instead of starting from scratch, Rawlings bought into proven bat technology.
COMBAT already had the engineers, composite expertise, and credibility with hitters. The real limitation wasn’t performance—it was scale. Compared to companies like Louisville Slugger and Marucci, COMBAT didn’t have the same distribution, marketing power, or retail presence.
Rawlings changed that.
Still, COMBAT didn’t immediately return to the top of the BBCOR bat rankings or dominate “best bat” lists. While models like the Louisville Slugger Meta, Marucci CAT series, and Victus BBCOR bats took over the spotlight, COMBAT operated in the background.
For many players, that created the impression the brand was gone.
Now, it’s clearly back.
The relaunch of the COMBAT MFG series—especially the MFG SPEC-A1—is putting the brand back into the hands of college baseball players and high-level travel ball hitters. It’s increasingly mentioned alongside some of the best BBCOR bats on the market, offering a legitimate alternative to more established models.
Older players recognize the name. Younger players discovering top BBCOR bats are starting to find it.
That split actually works in COMBAT’s favor.
Under Rawlings and COMBAT bats, the positioning is clear. Rawlings remains a full baseball equipment brand, known for gloves, baseballs, and protective gear. COMBAT is focused almost entirely on bat performance—composite technology, barrel design, and hitter feel.
It’s not overlap. It’s specialization within the BBCOR bat market.
More than a decade after the acquisition, the results are showing. Rawlings gained instant credibility in bats, while COMBAT gained the resources and distribution needed to compete with the biggest names in baseball.
Most importantly, COMBAT bats are showing up again where it matters most—college baseball dugouts, high school programs, and competitive travel teams.
In a crowded market for the best BBCOR bats, visibility at that level matters more than hype.
Most sports equipment acquisitions fade over time. This one didn’t.
Rawlings and COMBAT bats bet on COMBAT’s ability to build high-performance bats and gave it the platform to compete long-term. Now, as COMBAT re-enters the conversation around the best BBCOR bats for power and performance, that strategy is starting to pay off.