We’ve all heard (or at least most of us have) of Babz Big Flyz, but there are a few other wood bats on the market that are little known to the WIFFLE ball community. Today we take a look at Xylo.
Xylo is mostly known for their baseball bats, but they also have a Backyard Series bat, aka a WIFFLE ball bat.
The Backyard Series arrived to my house at the beginning of the wiffs season and upon opening it, I was hit with that fresh carved wood smell. It was amazing. I’m also pretty sure for the next week it stayed in my living room and every time I walked by the bat I had to pick it up and take a few swings.
I brought the Xylo bat out to a few tournaments to test it out, but unfortunately it’s not quite tournament ready yet and there’s two reasons why. First, the weight. Xylo is definitely too heavy for a tournament. For wiffs, obviously the lighter the better. Xylo is far from light when it comes to WIFFLE ball bats and since its so dense and heavy, it would certainly break quite a few WIFFLE balls. Next, the length. The original yellow bat is 32″ and that’s what the Backyard Series is. This is only a minor critique, but if there were a 34″ or 36″ option, it would be far better for competitive play.
That being said, Xylo is a great bat to warm up with! Makes your light bat feel even lighter after you take a few swings. I know Baumhauer loved having it around. He even yelled at me one Golden Stick tournament because I forgot to bring the bat and it screwed him up for the day. Xylo is also a great collectors piece. I opted for the yellow color. I mean, WIFFLE, right? This thing looks great next to all my other bats.
At the end of the day, with a few alterations to the weight and the length, I honestly believe Xylo could become part of the bat arsenal for WIFFLE-rs everywhere and its only $50.
If you’re interested in a Xylo Backyard Series bat for your league or your collection, be sure to click the picture/link below!
A WIFFLE ball bat that Domingo Ayala is behind!? Wow, wow, wow that’s epic!!!
There are two versions of the SweetSpot bat available online. Those two versions are a 28″ and a 34″ bat. In this case, I’ll be reviewing the 34″ bat, which I had the pleasure of using in the Ridley Park WIFFLE Ball League this summer.
For starters, this bat feels and looks amazing. It’s light, has a great grip, and has an incredible whip when you swing it. However, as much as I love the whip, it’s a bit too much. It’s actually the biggest downfall to this bat. Unfortunately, as great as the whip feels, your bat ends up getting warped by your 4th plate appearance. Once the bat becomes warped, it seems tougher to make good contact with the ball.
The good news is, even when the bat becomes warped, they’re very easy to bend back into form and if need be, they’re only $30 for a new one! Definitely one of the cheaper bats you can find.
All in all, the SweetSpot is a decent bat you can get on a budget. Personally, I still prefer the Moonshot bats, but they’re definitely way more costly.
If you’re interested in a SweetSpot bat for your league or your collection, be sure to click the picture/link below!
It goes without saying that Moonshot is one of the top bats in the game right now. I had the opportunity to get my hands on the EFX version this fast pitch season.
It certainly didn’t disappoint!! It was easily my best year at the plate and the EFX played a major role. Let’s just say, Dinger City.
Some people may not like the weight of this bat (because its definitely heavier than most WIFFLE bats), but I loved it. Made my swing feel more natural. Kept me to my baseball roots. I felt more balanced at the plate than I have in a while and although it has that extra weight, my hands were quicker than ever.
With all the bat options out there, the only one I used this season was the EFX. It legit, is my new go to bat. It reminds me of the old Nerf bats you can’t find anymore. Maybe its because of the color, but regardless, this bat will definitely help your game.
Not only is the EFX my new go to bat, but it’s one of the cheaper Moonshot options too! If you really want a Moonshot and don’t have a ton of money to spend, go with this bat. Like I said earlier, it won’t disappoint. Don’t look past the EFX when you’re making your next WIFFLE purchase.
“The BacKstop is a one-piece, portable, inflatable, backstop, strike-zone, catcher and umpire. No more arguing calls and chasing balls – just more fun!”
I recently received my BacKstop and took it to my backyard to see what it was about. The ad and commercial don’t lie! This thing is great. Took me a matter of minutes to inflate and start pitching. Breaking it down is just as easy, if not easier (BacKstop comes with a pump so you won’t be out of breath come game time).
I’ve always been known as an “effectively wild” pitcher, so the absolute best part of the BacKstop is LESS CHASING THE BALL!!! I was throwing to it for roughly an hour before I realized how much time I killed. The BacKstop is lightweight and easy to bring anywhere. All you have to do is check out their Instagram page and you’ll see it can literally be set up anywhere… and when I say anywhere, I mean it. I’ve seen pictures of BacKstop on the beach, outside of the Baseball Hall of Fame, at the Little League World Series, and even outside multiple MLB stadiums.
I saw on Twitter recently that 98.7FM (which is an ESPN radio station in New York) had a BacKstop out on the beach with retired MLB player, Al Leiter.
— 98.7FM ESPN New York (@ESPNNY98_7FM) July 6, 2018
If you don’t have one yet, head over to backstoptogo.com to get one now. They offer multiple packs. You can get just the BacKstop or with bats/balls included. They also offer just WIFFLE bats/balls as well. You won’t be disappointed. This is a great product for any WIFFLE-er out there!
Not only did the Philadelphia Phillies add a sick WIFFLE ball field to their stadium this past off season, but just a little over a week ago, they brought in a few players from the 1993 National League Championship team for a WIFFLE ball home run derby! I just so happened to catch it on TV last night and wanted to share it with my fellow WIFFLE-ers. Enjoy!
PS, we’re still hoping to get a W2B vs. Phillies charity game going… only time will tell.
If you drove or walked by Citizens Bank Park this off season you would have noticed there was a lot of construction taking place in the outfield. Well, one of those renovations is a WIFFLE ball field!
A rendering of "The Yard," a new interactive kids area in right field at Citizens Bank Park. An 8-year-old me would've loved striking out on that Whiffle ball field. pic.twitter.com/INdpUQRXmd
Citizens Bank Park will now be one of three stadiums with a WIFFLE ball field. The other two are Citi Field and AT&T Park. We had the chance to check out AT&T’s version this past summer.
Last week Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, was interviewing Alicia Vikander. While interviewing Alicia, she decided to teach him a game from Sweden called, Irish Christmas Eve. Notice what type of bat they used? Yes, a WIFFLE ball bat! Reminds us of a game we play called, dizzy bat… minus the drinking. In Irish Christmas Eve you spin around with your head on the bat and then try to destroy plates with a bow and arrow. Sounds and looks like fun! Plus its always hilarious to watch someone trying anything while dizzy, so we’ve posted the video of Irish Christmas Eve below… enjoy!
What is it about country music stars and wiffle ball? We’d love to sit down with one or more of them to find out and/or play them in a game for charity… We’ve been trying to challenge Brett Eldredge this week as he has a show 10 minutes from us on Saturday.
We haven’t heard back yet, but we’re still hoping to pull this off. Brett is one of the stars we’ve seen linked to wiffle ball the most. Others include Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Justin Moore. So, words out! We challenge any and all of these stars to a wiffle for charity game!
Below we’ve attached the videos and social media posts of these country stars and wiffle ball. Enjoy and spread the word. Help make this wiffle for charity challenge happen!
Nolan Arenado is an all-star 3rd baseman for the Colorado Rockies… he may even be the best third baseman in all of baseball. What does Nolan like to do in his free time you ask? Play WIFFLE ball! The past few years he’s hosted a pick up game at his family home and has even been quoted talking about the sport in a couple articles. Just a week ago the family pick up game happened again and was posted to Arenado’s cousin’s, Josh Fuentes, Instagram page. Also in attendance was Jonah Arenado, who is a 3rd baseman in the San Francisco Giants organization. The three time all-star, Nolan, made things more even keeled in the pick up game by batting lefty.
Some photos and videos from the game are posted below…
