To get an idea of what avid, competitive baseball players are buying and using these days, Team Insight conducted a quick informal poll of four baseball players from different parts of the U.S. — two high school teammates from the southern part of the Hoosier State, a senior citizen from the eastern section of the Volunteer State and a young girl from the southeastern region of the Sunshine State.  

The two Indiana teenagers are a pair of high school seniors, Braden Richey and Mikey Wright, who play varsity baseball for the Seymour Owls at Seymour High School; the senior citizen from Knoxville, TN, is 74-year-old Dusty Stauffer; and the young girl from Florida is 13-year-old Kate Costello, who is in the seventh grade at Polo Park Middle School in Wellington.

Games played every year ...

Richey: I am playing 60 baseball games a year. I play for Seymour High School in the spring and Top Tier Indiana in the summer. After high school, I will play college baseball at Anderson (Indiana) University.

Wright: I usually play about 60 baseball games a year for both my high school and the Top Tier Indiana travel team in the summer.  In college, I will be playing college baseball for the University of Indianapolis.

Stauffer: For 15 years, I played throughout the year when I lived in south Florida. Then I moved to eastern Tennessee. Since there is no local adult baseball league for me to play here in Tennessee, I only play once a year in the Roy Hobbs World Series, which is six games. I’m now 74. I am still young and I play in the 70s division. This past November, I batted .485 in the Roy Hobbs World Series and I came home with a bronze medal.

Costello: I play 40-50 baseball games a year. Right now, I am getting ready to play rec baseball this winter/spring for the Wellington Marlins here in Wellington. This fall, as an eighth grader, I plan to try out for the boys’ baseball team at Polo Park Middle School in Wellington. n

Favorite fielding glove ...

Braden Richey: I use a Heart of the Hide glove from Rawlings.

Mikey Wright: I use a mitt from 44 Pro.

Dusty Stauffer: I like a catcher’s glove from Mizuno and a first baseman’s glove from either Mizuno or Rawlings.

Kate Costello: My favorite glove is the Wilson A2000. When I play catcher, I use a Mizuno GXC 105 catcher’s mitt.

Favorite bat ...

Richey: The Atlas from Louisville Slugger.

Wright: The Goods from Demarini.

Stauffer: I swing a 34-ounce ash bat from M*Powered Baseball. I also like wood bats made from birch and maple.

Costello: The Marucci Cat X or the Demarini Voodoo One (Pink Lemonade).

Favorite cleat ...

Richey: The Alpha Huarache from Nike.

Wright: The Alpha Huarache cleat from Nike.

Stauffer: I wear Nike cleats. Any model from Nike is fine, as long as it fits.

Costello: The Lindor V2 cleat from New Balance.