Quote:
Originally Posted by mbcrowder
Seems impossible...
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Oh, it's possible. And the teams who used Nike bats were unknowingly penalized even more. Nike is no longer selling bats for use by college teams, and will allow teams it had under contract last year to use bats by other manufacturers.
"While using the Nike bats last year, Alabama hit just 23 home runs, down from an average of 86.6 over the previous three seasons.
The effects, though, were not specific to Alabama. Of the top 20 team leaders in home runs this past season, none used Nike bats. Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina and Southern Cal - all Nike schools - showed signs of substandard offensive performance. Prior to the 2010-11 season, Miami had not missed the postseason this millennium, reaching the College World Series five times. The Hurricanes blasted an average of more than 93 home runs a season from 2008-2010. This past year Miami hit just 33."