The high-concept short film presents a determined tone, featuring fire, intent faces, and the deep, dark woods. Amid dialogue and visuals of hunters, warriors, and the swing of a baseball bat, Dallas-based Warstic gets its point across: The bats it designs are not just sticks that hit balls. Rather, they are “weapons that win wars” on the baseball diamond.

Then there is a longer branded-content film, titled Clearshot: Training the Mind for Battle, created by One Fast Buffalo in Dallas. The 11-minute film brings the viewer even further into the mind of a hunter (with actual guns), and, once again, ties the warrior-hunter concept with the baseball batter.

Warstic, launched by Dallas businessman and graphic designer Ben Jenkins in 2011, doesn’t produce your typical baseball bat.

Priced at $113 for wooden bats (and $190-$300 for their metal counterparts), individually-designed Warstic bats won’t be found in the hands of your average Little League or high school field (though the company does produce youth bats). It also won’t necessarily be found in the all hands of pro hitters, either.

“We’re trying to keep our group small, and make sure our wood stays quality.”
Ian Kinsler

“We’re not trying to flood the market,” said Ian Kinsler, in a recent interview with The Dallas Morning News. “We’re trying to keep our group small, and make sure our wood stays quality.”

Yes, that Ian Kinser. The former Texas Ranger-turned-Detroit Tiger second baseman.

Kinsler, along with musician Jack White, are company partners. The soundtrack in the film titled “Warcry: The Battle of the Hawk & the Raven,” was created by White. It’s now Kinsler’s walk-out music, according to George Fox at detroit.cbslocal.com. And, he says, the company’s creative is likely to sell some bats — Warstic bats, that is, made from American ash, maple, and birch wood.

The company provided Kinsler with his black-on-black maple Warstic for his first 2016 game of the season, and he hasn’t looked back.

Meanwhile, closer to home, Rangers’ general manager Jeff Banister has become an enthusiastic supporter of the local business, as well.

He was spotted wearing a “Warstic” T-shirt while the Rangers played a recent series with the Tigers, in Detroit. The skipper told the Morning News that the company had sent over a fungo bat the first year, which he liked.

“Then I learned that (A) they were local and (B) the whole Warstic mindset, and . . . it’s right up my alley, so I was all in,” he added.

Updated May 22, 2017, 9:50 p.m.

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