Bat Honors Memory Of Jackson Sparks, Youngest Parade Victim

WAUKESHA, WI—Eight-year-old Jackson Sparks loved baseball and played for the Waukesha Blazers. Tragically he along with five other people died after a man driving a SUV drove into a crowd at the Waukesha Christmas parade on Nov. 21.

More than 60 others were injured including Sparks' 12-year-old brother, Tucker Sparks, who continues to heal.

The Dirty South Bat Company, a Georgia baseball bat manufacturer, created a special bat in Sparks' honor. Proceeds from the bat will go to help others hurt during the parade.

Tony Mastandrea, CEO, said a parent reached out to the small-niche company about sending Tucker Sparks swag or something to lift his spirits.

"In hearing of this tragedy and knowing that a faithful DSB user was so impacted, we wanted to do more. I reached out and said why don’t you let us do better. Let us produce a limited-edition bat and have all the proceeds go to his family and others in Waukesha,"Mastandrea told Patch.

The goal for DSB was to memorialize a bat in honor for a boy who loved baseball and to help his family. All proceeds from the $395 bat are going directly to the cause.

To date DSB has sold half of the 125 bats produced. The company will continue to make the bat available in 2022 until it is sold out.

The bat has a black background with Waukesha in blue, Blazers in white and #WaukeshaStrong" in both colors. The bat also includes a small tribute to Jackson which says, "In memory of Jackson Sparks #23."

"Each bat is individually numbered. Bat #1 was given to the family as a keepsake, Bat #7 was given to Tucker. Bat #23 (Jackson’s number) was given to the family in the size bat Jackson most recently used," Mastandrea said.

In late November a movement was created to honor Sparks through wearing sports jerseys.
Todd Ahrens, a Wisconsin native and Texas resident, said he read Patch's story on Jackson Sparks' funeral arrangements. A social media post went viral asking people to wear a baseball jersey in honor of the 8-year-old.

Giving Back

Giving back to kids and families is not new for DSB as they have donated to different causes.

They have done a charity bat for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring military and first responder communities by keeping families together.

The Chris Kyle Frog Foundation (CKFF) was founded by Taya Kyle to honor the life and legacy of her husband, “American Sniper” Chris Kyle.

"When a customer purchases a sniper bat they are donating $50 and we match their donation thus raising $100 per bat sale for the charity," Mastandrea said.

DSB is a limited-production and produce around 5,000 bats per year. For more information on the company and the bats visit the DSB website.