10/14/2011-The Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs has announced they will be going with Rawlings as the official baseball for the 2012 season.
Rawlings is the official ball of Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, the American Association, the Frontier League and the CanAm League. In 2011 the Pecos League attempted to get baseballs from Rawlings but Rawlings was not interested in the Pecos League. Now that the Pecos League has expanded into Colorado, Rawlings is willing to jump on board. The deal between the Pecos League and Rawlings was struck when the Pecos League intended to play in Pueblo, Colorado which is a Rawlings hotbed. In Pueblo the college baseball park in named after Rawlings and the Rawlings Brand is a major supporter of Colorado Baseball. The Pecos League won't play in Pueblo until 2013 but Rawlings agreed to stay on board with a team in Trinidad. Rawlings does not have a sales rep in the state of New Mexico as was unaware of the Pecos League.
The Pecos League will be making custom baseballs with team logos, multi color seems and sponsor logos. The Baseballs will have the very familiar Rawlings Logo on them. In 2011 the Pecos League used ProNine Baseballs. ProNine was the only company that would work with the Pecos League in 2011. The Pecos League went through around 1180 dozen baseballs in a six team league. Now numerous companies expressed interest and Rawlings is obviously the best baseball. The Cushioned Cork Center will cause for some long shots in high altitude parks. ProNine was known as a pitchers ball because of its dead cork. In 2010 the Big Bend Cowboys and Las Cruces Vaqueros used ProNine Baseballs. In the middle of the 2011 season ProNine shipped the Pecos League 10 cases of high school baseballs with high seems. ProNine said they didn't know the difference in a high school and a pro baseball leaving the Pecos League out to dry. Pitchers were forced to use the balls. The Pecos League had no choice but to use them until replacements could be located. Pro Nine also missed its shipment dates twice. "Basically we are getting a better ball for the same price and when our players get called up to higher leagues they are comfortable using a Rawlings Ball, that is what they will be using in the American Association, Frontier League and Affliated Baseball."
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