When Corey Kent stepped into the co-host chair on Backstage Country with Elaina Smith, the conversation naturally turned to milestones—and few moments stand out in his career quite like his first No. 1 hit, “This Heart.”
For Kent, reaching the top of the charts wasn’t just a career win. It was a deeply personal moment. So when “This Heart” finally hit No. 1, he wanted to make sure the people who helped bring it to life felt just as celebrated as he did.
Instead of a typical plaque or thank-you note, Kent chose something a little more unexpected: commemorative bats.
Why Bats?
Smith asked Kent why the unique gifts. The singer said, “So I became pretty good friends with the guys at Maruchi Bats. I mean, they're one of the biggest bat makers for the MLB. I just remember hearing stories about typical commemorative plaques that people get, and I was like, ‘I want to do something a little bit different.’”
He chuckled, “So I hit up my friends at Maruchi, and they were super kind and down to help me kind of come up with something unique. And it was just my way of acknowledging great songwriters because my career has been built on great songs, some of which that I've written, some of which my friends have written.”
Corey Kent: Credit Where Credit is Due
Kent also wanted to shine a spotlight on songwriters who he believed sometimes don't get the recognition that they deserve. “They're kind of in the shadows of country music. And, you know, everybody here in Nashville understands how the industry, how the machine works, how the integral role that these songwriters play. But where I live in Texas, like, they don't know anything about that. That's a majority of the world. A lot of times people don't know the names of these writers. They don't know who wrote these songs.”
As someone who also writes songs, Kent said he knew how songwriters feel. “I came up in the songwriting world writing songs for other people and just putting myself in their shoes of, like, ‘Man, it would be nice to get handed a flower and a standing ovation for doing something truly incredible, being great at what you do.’ And so, this is just my way of giving them something unique.”
He chuckled, “And, you know, pun fully intended, helping me hit a home run, hit it out of the park and just something that I think that the writers would appreciate and not just another record on their wall, but something that's unique and fun and a cool piece to talk about when somebody walks into their office.”
