University of South Carolina Head Baseball Coach Ray Tanner Added to Rawlings® Collegiate Lineup

Reigning NCAA® Champions set to swing new Rawlings 5150 BBCOR Bat during Spring 2011 Season

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Mar 02, 2011, 05:40 ET

ST. LOUIS, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning with the 2011 collegiate baseball season, Ray Tanner, head baseball coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Baseball America's National Coach of the Year, will join more than 100 of the top collegiate baseball coaches that comprise the Rawlings Collegiate Advisory Staff. The newly-formed partnership encompasses several hard goods categories, including bats, gloves, batting gloves, equipment bags, helmets and baseballs, and will allow Tanner to collaborate with Rawlings during the product development process.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110302/CG58267)

"Rawlings is beyond honored to have a coach of Ray Tanner's caliber and ability as a member of our Collegiate Advisory Staff," said Mike Thompson, senior-vice president of sports marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings, a subsidiary of Jarden Team Sports. "Coach Tanner has an incredible talent for bringing out the very best in his players. He strives to win and we're confident Rawlings' products will contribute to many more wins going forward."

"During my coaching career, I've come to associate quality, performance, and authenticity with the Rawlings brand," said Coach Tanner. "We are very excited to be using Rawlings equipment this year, especially the new 5150 bats, and we're confident it will show in our performance."

The Gamecocks, under Coach Tanner's leadership, will swing the newly-released Rawlings BBCOR-approved bats throughout the 2011 season. Featuring a 100% Aerospace grade 5150 alloy frame and one-piece construction, the new 5150 design from Rawlings offers unparalleled durability, even in the most extreme playing conditions. The Rawlings 5150 Alloy model utilizes Precision Optimized Performance (POP) Technology™ that isolates the added weight to a smaller region on the barrel than seen on competitors' bats, which translates into a lower swing weight. The bat's maximum rebound zone is surrounded by thin walls that create additional flex and a larger sweetspot. Furthermore, a proprietary metal forming process allows for precision-controlled wall thickness resulting in a more even weight distribution. The new Rawlings 5150 Alloy bat (model BBCA), endorsed by Tanner and the Gamecocks, is available for purchase at select Rawlings authorized dealer websites and stores. For a complete listing of authorized Rawlings dealers, please visit the dealer locator on Rawlings.com.

In his 15th year as the head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina, Tanner has enabled the Gamecocks to become one of the premier collegiate baseball programs in the nation, with four appearances at the College World Series since 2002. In 2010, South Carolina became the first team to collect six consecutive wins on the road to the NCAA College World Series held in Omaha. South Carolina owns the longest current streak of NCAA Regional appearances among the 12 SEC schools with 11 straight appearances since 2000.

About Rawlings

Rawlings is a leading manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods in the United States and a subsidiary of Jarden Team Sports. Since the company's inception in 1887, Rawlings' mission has always centered on developing and producing innovative, high-performance equipment and protective apparel for the professional player. With an assortment of baseball, basketball, football and softball game-related product lines, Rawlings is present everywhere team sports are played. Leagues and conferences of all skill levels integrate Rawlings' unparalleled product portfolio into their sports: as the Official Baseball and Official Helmet to Major League Baseball®, the official baseball for the NCAA®, the official football for the NAIA®, the official basketball for the NAIA, NJCAA® and AAU®, the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit rawlings.com, Rawlings' Facebook page or by phone at (314) 819-2800.

About Jarden Corporation

Jarden Corporation is a leading provider of niche consumer products. Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia®, Aero®, Berkley®, Campingaz® and Coleman®, Fenwick®, Gulp!®, K2®, Marker®, Marmot®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Rawlings®, Shakespeare®, Stearns®, Stren®, Trilene®, Volkl® and Zoot®; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain®; and Branded Consumables: Ball®, Bee®, Bicycle®, Billy Boy®, Crawford®, Diamond®, Dicon®, Fiona®, First Alert®, First Essentials®, Forster®, Hoyle®, Kerr®, Lehigh®, Leslie-Locke®, Lillo®, Loew Cornell®, Mapa®, NUK®, Pine Mountain®, Quickie®, Spontex® and Tigex®. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden has more than 25,000 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit www.jarden.com.

SOURCE Rawlings