Keene State Alum Savage Hits Homerun With Bat Jack-It

KEENE, N.H. 8/8/11 – Kevin Savage never played baseball at Keene State, but that didn't stop the 1978 KSC grad from stepping up to the plate and hitting a home run with the Hitting Jack-It System. Introduced in the fall of 2009, the Hitting Jack-it is the world's first and only weighted hitting system designed to improve a batter's swing. According to Savage, who serves as vice president of the company, the Hitting Jack-it System has brought in well over seven figures in sales in the last six months.

Originally from Hudson, NH, and now residing in Redondo Beach, CA, Savage became associated with the product almost by accident. Living in the baseball hotbed of El Segundo, CA, where his son Brice played on a high school baseball team, Savage, who also has a daughter Marie and will marry fiancée Cindy Fredette in April, became acquainted with the Estrada family, who have been involved in professional baseball for over 30 years. 

The Estrada family is a rags-to-riches story. Marco Estrada Sr. came from Mexico to the United States at the age of 12. A member of the Mexican all-star team, Estrada settled in El Segundo with his family, where he worked in the local steel mill. Welding two pieces of metal together and putting it on a bat, Estrada came up with a crude weighted hitting device. Marco Estrada Jr., one of his four sons to play professionally in the minor leagues, asked Savage if he was interested in being involved and investing in the company.

The rest is history. After a few refinements, which included working with a Boeing engineer to determine the correct placement of the weight in the middle of the bat, the Hitting Jack-it System was ready to hit the market.

Savage says the Hitting Jack-it System has numerous advantages. Unlike other weighted products currently on the market, the System (available in graduated sizes of 9-oz, 12-oz, 16-oz, and 21-oz) develops bat speed and power, creates a short, compact swing, strengthens hands and forearms, and can be used in live batting practice as well as weight in the on-deck circle. "After you take five or six swings with the Jack-it and then take it off, the bat feels like a toothpick in your hands," said Savage. 

The start-up company took its first swings in Marco's garage. "We were the equivalent of Bill Gates building a computer in his garage," said Savage. "We'd take 100 sets to Dodger Stadium or go to a Little League game and set up a stand."

These days, the Hitting Jack-it System (which is solely available through the web: www.hittingjackit.com) is in midst of a hitting streak. The company is producing 1.1 million Jack-its in China and has a 100,000-square-foot warehouse. They have patents in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and have 32 patents pending. They run commercials on ESPN and the MLB network and in March will be selling the Jack-it on QVC and the Home Shopping network, taking the product worldwide. "Over the last 18 month our sales have been creeping up and now they're exploding," said Savage. 

The Hitting Jack-it System has an impressive line-up of players and managers endorsing the product. George Brett, the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame third baseman who attend El Segundo High, and Pirate manager Clint Hurdle, who had never been on board with any product in his 35 years in baseball, lead the list, which also includes the Yankees' Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox. "I just talked to Dustin Pedroia's agent the other day," said Savage. "I'm meeting with Dustin in September to give him some Hitting Jack-its. He loves them."

In addition to working with numerous major league players, Savage also had the distinction of playing with some of the best athletes ever to put on a Keene State uniform.  An All-America soccer and basketball player who led his Alvirne High School team to the New England championships his senior year, Savage came to Keene State because it was the only college that would allow him to play both sports.

Savage played in a golden athletic era at Keene State. As a freshman, he played alongside such Owl greats as Mickey Rooney '75, Graham Jones '76, and Brad Steurer '74 on the 1974 Keene State soccer team that captured the NAIA New England championship and placed fifth at the national tournament. 

As a four-year member of the Owl basketball team from 1974-78, Savage's teammates included Al Hicks '76, Mark Yeaton '77, Joe Yaris and brothers Mike and Matt Theulen '80. Savage was a member of the 1976-77 squad that earned a berth in the NAIA national tournament. "Kevin was our point guard and could do it all," said Mike Theulen, now serving as the athletic director and men's basketball coach at Western New England College. "What I remember most about Kevin was his intensity and his work ethic. We were a very physical team and he was our floor general. He had the kind of drive where you knew he would be a huge success in life."

Earning a degree in physical education with a minor in business from KSC, Savage moved to California so he could play sports year-round. After retiring from the airline industry in 2002, Savage, who still remains active athletically, spent a few years managing a home improvement store before hitting it big with the Hitting Jack-it. 

The Hitting Jack-it is currently being used at all levels of baseball. "We've seen it on-deck many times at major league games," said Savage, who is working to get it sanctioned by major league baseball. "We're also going to be introducing a softball size Hitting Jack-it that should be 10 times bigger."

Keene State baseball coach Ken Howe, who got a couple of sample sets from Savage, sings the praises of the product. "We use them in the training phase of our hitting program during the spring, and guys really like them," he said. "It's a great concept."

In baseball, hitting is all about timing, and Savage picked the perfect time to take a swing with the Hitting Jack-it.  "I've always been very confident about the Hitting Jack-it," he said. "Everything has happened so fast. Who'd ever thought that such a simple invention would be such a hit?"