Dove Tail Bat Company, a Maine-based manufacturer of pro-grade wood baseball bats, has unveiled a new, cutting-edge technology that it hopes will be adopted throughout Major League Baseball.

Dove Tail’s Dove Tech remote bat scanner can scan a player’s existing bat anywhere in the world and have data automatically sent to the Dove Tail Bat facility in Shirley, Maine, for immediate production of a Dove Tail Bat in Maine maple or birch. According to the company, the process maintains an accuracy down to 0.001 inch.

"Dove Tail Bats are known for their pop and performance. That’s due to our access to Maine’s wood supply, scientifically proven to be the hardest in the game," said Paul Lancisi, founder of Dove Tail Bats. "But our attention to detail and customer service set our company apart. This technology will allow more players to join the Dove Tail team and experience the difference a Dove Tail bat can make at the plate. This scanning ability and nearly instantaneous turnaround time doesn’t exist with any other bat company. It is quite literally a game changer for baseball."

Dove Tail Bats has been using similar scanning technology in its own shop since 2015, but it required shipping bats to Maine. By installing the scanners in clubhouses or training facilities, it offers remote access to allow players to scan a bat and have data automatically sent to the manufacturer, ready for production. Newfangled Solutions, a technology company based in Livermore Falls, Maine, developed the scanning and production systems.

"My roots are here in Maine," said Brian Barker, owner of Newfangled Solutions. "I grew up in Livermore Falls, got my machine tool degree at Central Maine Community College, and my mechanical engineering degree at the University of Maine. I have run an automation software company in Maine for the past 17 years. As a Mainer, I’m happy that everything associated with Dove Tail Bats and this machine — from the lumber used in the bats to the machine that cuts the wood to the source code used for this technology — is made in Maine. This is a source of pride for our companies, and I hope it’s a source of pride for baseball fans throughout Maine."

With two Maine businesses at the forefront of bringing new technology to America’s pastime, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a self-described avid baseball fan, was on hand to congratulate the two businesses for working together in a way that will have ripple impacts for players throughout the league.

"Today, we celebrate another investment Dove Tail Bats is making to serve athletes better," said Gov. Mills. "This first-of-its-kind scanner can send a signal immediately from the ballpark back to Shirley, where Paul and his team can reproduce the bat, possibly with adjustments, and then ship it overnight to the player’s clubhouse so it can be used the next day. This signal is only possible because of another Maine-based company, Newfangled Solutions, of Livermore Falls. This is a home run for our home state."

The new scanning device was unveiled during a news conference Wednesday at Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs. Christian Koss of the Portland Sea Dogs, who swings a Dove Tail bat, was present.

"As a lifelong baseball player and fan, this has been a passion project for me," said Lancisi. "In a year when Major League Baseball is successfully speeding up the game with a pitch clock, Dove Tail Bats is speeding up the ability for players to get the bats they want and need. Once again, Maine businesses are leading the charge with innovation and new ideas, and we are extremely proud to bring new technology to some of the biggest names in baseball."

Company officials say that the remote bat scanners can be made available and manufactured immediately and have already fielded interest from big league clubs.

Dove Tail Bats had its genesis in 2007 when a Maine cabinet maker used his workshop, know-how, and hardwood from Maine’s forest to craft a baseball bat for his son. Not long after, Dove Tail Bats was formed and began selling bats to men’s leagues and tournaments nationwide.

Dove Tail Bats are now in the hands of professional ball players at all levels, including New York Mets teammates Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil, Jake Meyers of the Houston Astros, and New York Yankees teammates Giancarlo Stanton and Harrison Bader.

In 2022, Dove Tail Bats produced more than 30,000 baseball bats, saw its Major League Baseball market share double, and now has three bats in baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

More information about the company can be found at dovetailbats.com.