BESR bats make a difference
 

I received my Baseball Express equipment catalogue the other day. After picking my jaw off the ground at the cost of gear, I brought the magazine to my football team's practice. A couple of guys also coach baseball and I wanted to give them a heads up on buying bats (many get their kids new sticks for Xmas). After reminding them that last year's bats would now be banned by our league, one guy whined that the bat didn't make a difference.

Here are the final NCAA stats after the new bat rule went into place.

D1:
Batting Average 2011 = .282 Batting Average 2010 = .305
Home runs 2011 = .52 per game Home runs 2010 = .94 per game
Runs Scored 2011 = 6.98 per game Runs Scored 2010 = 5.58 per game
ERAs 2011 = 4.67 per game ERAs 2010 = 5.95 per game

D2:
Batting Average 2011 = .289 Batting Average 2010 = .309
Home runs 2011 = .44 per game Home runs 2010 = .72 per game
Runs Scored 2011 = 5.78 per game Runs Scored 2010 = 6.75 per game
ERAs 2011 = 5.04 per game ERAs 2010 = 6.08 per game

D3:
Batting Average 2011 = .292 Batting Average 2010 = .314
Home runs 2011 = .35 per game Home runs 2010 = .58 per game
Runs Scored 2011 = 5.90 per game Runs Scored 2010 = 7.08 per game
ERAs 2011 = 5.13 per game ERAs 2010 = 6.30 per game

I haven't seen a HS study done with the less lively bats but my guess is that next year we will see fewer long balls and shots through the infield.

Kulpas missed call.
 

I can't believe that Kulpa didn't go for help on that tag play the other night. He was clearly out of position. I read a quote that said "I don't ask for help on that play". I understand his point and I try to get those calls myself but sometimes you can't get the angle and that's what your partner is there for.

Looking forward to BBCOR. Now when a pitcher makes a good pitch he'll be rewarded for it more often than not. Go to wood bats. They're cheaper and with the little guys they should last a long time. You'll also make them better hitters.

What does this have to do with BESR or BBCOR bats? You need to look at the thread before you post, eh?

New Mexico is going to wood bats this year!
http://www.nmact.org/athletics/baseb..._Wood_Bats.pdf

Seems impossible...

(Nevermind that ERA and per game are mutually exclusive terms)

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."

I think mbcrowder's observation was runs scored increased 25% while ERA was down 22%. Doesn't make sense unless those BBCOR bats caused a lot of errors.

It makes perfect sense to me that balls coming off bats "hotter" would lead to an increase in errors committed by fielders.

BBCOR bats should yield "cooler" balls... or something like that. ;)

Seems likely that D1 "runs scored" figures are transposed. Otherwise, how do you explain negative unearned runs per game (i.e., ERA is greater than average runs per game) in 2010?

D2 and D3 show roughly .75 unearned runs per game in both '10 and '11. If you switch the D1 runs scored figures, they'd show roughly 1 unearned run per game both years.

I think looking at one year of numbers isn't enough to prove the bats are that effective. I'll agree it's going to show the same in long-term numbers, but let's not jump the gun too quickly.

Also agree about one year. Batters will adjust and improve probably not back to pre BBCOR HR numbers but teams will adjust to style of play with the bat too

Good catch. I should have checked the data prior to posting it. The stuff I posted was given to me by a local college assignor. I went to the NCAA Arbiter site just now to verify and found the mistake. I gave you the credit for finding it when I sent him the news.

Here are the final NCAA stats after the new bat rule went into place.

D1:
Runs Scored 2011 = 5.58 per game Runs Scored 2010 = 6.98 per game
ERAs 2011 = 4.67 per game ERAs 2010 = 5.95 per game

D2:
Runs Scored 2011 = 5.78 per game Runs Scored 2010 = 6.75 per game
ERAs 2011 = 5.04 per game ERAs 2010 = 6.08 per game

D3:
Runs Scored 2011 = 5.90 per game Runs Scored 2010 = 7.08 per game
ERAs 2011 = 5.13 per game ERAs 2010 = 6.30 per game

The NCAA site also has a qualifier below the stats, "Averages are per game and per team." I can see why he included it but was not confused.

One year of data is not perfect but almost every coach I encountered agreed that the BBCOR bats made a huge difference. Slap shots become manageable groundballs. The 5'5" second baseman wasn't hitting bombs and the pitcher had time to react.

OK, now that's just dumb. I was making a comment about the impossibility of those numbers because he posted one line BACKWARD. Let's not defend the possibility of the impossible numbers.

(Someone please tell me why these numbers would be incomprehensibly backward at Div 1, but not at the other two? Come on people.)