NEW NCAA Bats, BAD?

[jkumpire]

Originally Posted by kylejt

My son works at a high end baseball store, and all his reports are that the new bats suck. An Easton rep showed him the modifications that they made, and they explained why. Easton added braced rings as supports inside the bat. They add strength, and decrease flex. It's changed the swing weight, and deadened the pop. So they don't swing as quickly, and the ball doesn't go as far.

At the recent game I did, several players told me that they also had problems with the bats denting. Maybe it's the brand (anyone ever seen a good Nike Bat?), but I wonder how much is real change and how much perception. In my game we still had a bunch of rockets hit, but only 1 homer.

Also interesting was the response of an F2 in the game. When he complained I said, "Well you have to hit it on the screws right?" He said he had not really found a sweet spot like a wooden bat has.

Looks like the new bats will work, but there will be a big adjustment period for players and maybe manufacturers. So unlike kylejt, I believe that FED waiting a year is a good idea; let the NCAA people work the kinks out then use a more proven product for HS kids.

Looks like it ought to be interesting next season, but I wonder how we are going to be policing teams with these new sticks. Are we going to have to carry a notebook with pictures to every field? Get into the dugouts again?