How do I finish a wood bat?

[PJalst]

I purchased an unfinished Maple bat from E bay. This is my first purchase of an unfinished bat. It only cost me $17 including the S/H. I figure for $17 I can't go wrong. I thought it would be a fun project to slip in in between my honey-do-list. It's a 34" that seems to be pretty solid. I would like to finish it myself and use it in my men's baseball league. I want the Barrel to be walnut, I will use stain for that. The handle will be black, for that I will use laquer. Once painted and stained I will seal it with a light coat of varnish. Am I using the correct method to finish this bat? Do I need to sand between coats or anything like that? Any help will be appreciated. :confused:

[TallPaul]

This linked pdf file is about turning a bat, but also discussed finishing, including sanding. Should be somewhat helpful.

http://www.pennstateind.com/library/BBAT_ins.pdf