Baseball player breaks record – and bat – after smacking ball over 125 mph in hardest hit

A baseball player out of Bend, Oregon, USA has broken a batting record after blasting the ball over 125 mph (201 km/h) in the hardest baseball hit of all time.

Will Taylor (USA), the creator of the brand and popular social media channel BaseballBatBros, took the title after smashing a Rawlings ball 126.11 mph (202.95 km/h) past a calibrated speed check at Vince Genna Stadium this 27 September.

The velocity of the hit was even faster than the hardest-hit ball in Major League Baseball in history, set by Oneil Cruz (Dominican Republic) of the Pittsburgh Pirates in May 2025 at 122.9 mph (197.79 km/h) - though Oneil's hit was in the middle of a professional game, unlike Will's, which was chucked from a pitching machine.

Nevertheless, the record for this athlete and entrepreneur still sets an important metric in the field, surpassing the 124 mph (200 km/h) benchmark and demonstrating extreme technique, strength, and precision.

"Breaking a world record for the hardest hit baseball right here in Bend with my family and friends watching was an incredible feeling," said Will to GWR, adding that the record wasn't the only thing being broken that night.

"We pushed every bat to its absolute limit - literally breaking all of them [in the process]!"

Will has been running BaseballBatBros with his brother J.T. for roughly seven years now, and their humble beginnings as a baseball bat review channel soon turned into a major online presence due to their honest reports on the expensive brands, as well as their on-screen charm and talent.

A few years ago, he unsuccessfully attempted the record for the longest home run hit (575 ft or 175 m, by the iconic Babe Ruth in 1921) - yet he remained determined to claim a title, eventually returning to a hometown field in Oregon to reattempt the record this September.

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Guinness World Records Adjudicator Natalia Ramirez was present to watch him vie for the hardest baseball hit and longest batted baseball titles - and though all of Will's bats broke before he could claim the latter record, he still was thrilled to finally accomplish his game-changing dreams with the hardest hit.

"While we fell a bit short on the distance record tonight, hitting 126.11 mph (202.95 km/h) and taking home a Guinness World Records title makes all the hard work completely worth it," he said.