TAMPA, Fla. and BATON ROUGE, Louisiana—CAR Eyewear and Marucci Sports announced a multi-year, global licensing agreement for the design, manufacturing and distribution of the Marucci Vision ophthalmic eyewear line. Additionally, they will be distributing the Marucci Vision performance and lifestyle sunwear line which features Carl Zeiss Vision lens technology. Tampa-based CAR Eyewear’s distribution rights are worldwide to eyecare professionals and optical retailers. Marucci Sports, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, began as a company dedicated to handcrafting baseball bats for “some of the best players in the game.”

Now the company has expanded to offer a range of equipment from wood and metal bats and bags to accessories, fielding and batting gloves, on-field and lifestyle apparel to name a few. “Today, Marucci is the No. 1 bat in the Big Leagues,” the company said.

“This partnership has been in development for the past two years and expands the well-known equipment brand of Marucci in Major League Baseball to on-field performance sunwear and off-field lifestyle sunwear and ophthalmic eyewear,” said Alan Gunner, operating partner of CAR Eyewear.

Kurt Ainsworth, co-founder and CEO of Marucci Sports added, “We’ve taken our commitment to premium, quality products into performance and lifestyle eyewear. Carl Zeiss Vision produces superior lens technology and CAR Eyewear is the right partner to expand our distribution to eyecare professionals.”

Additionally, CAR Eyewear will donate a portion from every frame sold to Prevent Blindness through its non-profit organization, CAR Cares.

According to the company, CAR Eyewear plans to have the Marucci Vision Collection available in select markets in the U.S. in July 2019 and “is exploring national and international distribution partners.”

CAR Eyewear will host a launch event on April 25 at Marucci Hitter’s House in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where Marucci Sports has had its main manufacturing and corporate headquarters since 2002.