Michael Eaves got a custom UK-themed bat at the Louisville Slugger Factory on SportsCenter

ESPN brought SportsCenter to Louisville on Wednesday as part of its “50 States in 50 Days” tour, with Kentucky native Michael Eaves hosting the show from the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. Even though the UK graduate was in enemy territory, he made sure to rep Kentucky Blue.

For one of the segments, Eaves toured the factory to see how a Louisville Slugger bat was made. Tim, a Louisville fan proudly wearing a Cardinals shirt, showed him the sanding process. Tim, who sands about two bats a minute and has sanded up to 650 in a day, couldn’t help but get a rivalry dig in after handing the bat back to Eaves.

“Ls Up,” Tim said, flashing the symbol, prompting a rueful laugh from Eaves, who graduated from UK with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1994.

At the next station, Eaves got to pick out paint colors for his bat; after his last encounter, there was only one choice.

“After Tim dropped the Ls up on me, I’m definitely going to go Kentucky blue,” he said.

Eaves took it one step further, getting the UK logo engraved on the bat along with his name and “ESPN SportsCenter.” Check out the entire segment below.

SportsCenter: 50 States in 50 Days is in Kentucky where @michaeleaves got a behind the scenes look at how the iconic Louisville Slugger bat is made 🔥

Personalize your ESPN App experience by selecting your favorite players, teams, and leagues ➡️ https://t.co/nHw2kzuuRz pic.twitter.com/3XpRROVPuP

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 10, 2025

The Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum wasn’t Eaves’ only stop in the Derby City. He also filmed segments at Churchill Downs and the Muhammad Ali Center. Off-camera, he also met Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who made him an honorary citizen of the city. Pretty cool stuff for the Hopkins County native.

There are other tracks and other races, but there’s only one @ChurchillDowns, and there’s only one @KentuckyDerby!#sportscenter #espn #kentucky #sc50in50 #louisville pic.twitter.com/RNHiN8ZIDy

— Michael Eaves (@michaeleaves) July 10, 2025

One of the things that makes me most proud of being from #Kentucky is sharing a home state with @MuhammadAli, and when I learned I was coming home for @sportscenter’s “50 States in 50 Days” coverage, a visit to the @AliCenter was a must! #muhammadali #kentucky #SC50in50 #espn pic.twitter.com/ijPZT1TEQK

— Michael Eaves (@michaeleaves) July 10, 2025

Oh, by the way.. Mayor Greenberg also named me an honorary citizen of Louisville! I know all my family here will get a kick out of that! 😂 pic.twitter.com/uqXRzEDvzq

— Michael Eaves (@michaeleaves) July 9, 2025

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