New bat specs will change College Baseball

[OleMissCub]

This is from a Rivals site, so I'm not sure if it is available but for subscribers.

 

Anyways, starting next season all bats have to fall within certain regulations that pretty much make them the equivalent of wooden bats. Should be interesting.

 

http://olemiss.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1130132

 

 

"It's going to change college baseball," Bianco (Ole Miss' head coach) said. "No doubt about it. I haven't spoken to anybody that says they like them. I don't mean just players, I mean other coaches. But that is the bat that will go into effect this spring? It is what it is."

 

The Rebels have a lucrative bat contract with Easton, and the prominent baseball supplier sent Ole Miss several bats certified by the new standard prior to the start of fall practice.

 

According to Bianco, the new bats produce noticeably less punch. And he has evidence.

 

"We've got some days of batting practice that no home runs are hit," Bianco said.

 

Attempting to understand the new testing system can quickly become a convoluted mess of acronyms and equations.

 

After the 1998 College World Series, when 35 runs were scored in the title game and 62 home runs were hit in 14 tournament games, NCAA baseball began steps to adopt a testing standard called BESR (ball exit speed ratio). BESR testing introduced bats that were heavier than previous standards and had smaller barrels. Also, BESR measured the exit speed of baseballs after bat contact using a controlled scenario.

 

The test was supposed to make bats extremely similar to wood bats in "liveliness," but many critics of the testing see the format as flawed. BESR certification requires a maximum baseball exit speed of 97 miles per hour (the same as top-of-the-line wood bats), but that measurement is determined using a 70 mph pitch, a 34-inch, 31-ounce bat and a 66 mph swing speed - much slower than any live scenario at the collegiate level.

 

Also, aluminum bats are hollow, meaning properties other than weight and length contribute to the power produced. Aluminum bats compress upon impact, resulting in a "trampoline effect" that adds distance and speed to the baseballs when hit.

 

Thus, a new testing system will begin Jan. 1, 2011, -- BBCOR (ball-bat coefficient of restitution).

 

This method doesn't measure exit speeds, but rather what the bat and the ball do upon impact. The "trampoline effect is minimized, and BBCOR- certified aluminum bats and wood bats of the same size should act in extremely similar manners - even over time.

[Outshined_One]

BA's take.

 

"I wouldn't say that it's going to impact the home runs as much as just the way the ball comes off the bat, even on ground balls," he said. "Just consistently, the ball doesn't come off as fast. I think when you square the ball up, it's still going to go, you'll still hit home runs and doubles. But under the old bats, you could get jammed and still hit a home run. You didn't have to hit the ball square on the sweet spot to hit it good. Now with these new ones, that's what you have to do. You have to really square it up to hit it through the infield or hit a home run."

 

Also, a pitch clock will be in effect in 2011:

 

Of course, pace of play is another major factor in drawing fan interest, and college baseball has been under fire in recent years for the length of its games. Starting in 2011, a 20-second pitch clock will be enforced across college baseball—but the new bats seem destined to play a much more significant role in reducing the length of games.

 

Sounds like a lot of coaches are throwing a fit over the new bats, namely because they might lower HR totals and make game more boring. However, this might actually benefit the players when it comes to transitioning to pro ball:

 

"The way I feel about it is the game played at the highest level is made to reward players with true hit skills," Corbin said. "Players who hit the middle of the ball consistently are going to hit. The notion of hitting the bottom of the ball with a nuclear stick and having success is really unrealistic, unless you're Adam Dunn. If you're a good hitter, you can hit with a hickory stick. The bat, to me, is better than wood but performs less than aluminum."

 

Oregon State coach Pat Casey agrees with Corbin.

 

"What are most kids trying to do? They're trying to make it to professional baseball," Casey said. "So I think the closer the college game emulates the pro game, the better it is for the players. If you're a scout trying to grade out a kid trying to hit with a metal bat, that can be difficult . . . I'm in favor of anything that gets the bats closer to wood bats, personally."

[Guest]

I've often wondered why MLB doesn't subsidize the use of wood bats for the NCAA. How expensive could that be? Probably less per season than a single first round draft pick.

[Guest]

I figured I'd toss this in here rather than create a new thread but Cal-Berkeley disbanded their baseball program last week. The Pac-10 is down to 9 baseball teams again. And while Utah does have a baseball program, Colorado doesn't so we'll only see a 10-team conference after expansion.

 

:|

[UK1679666180]

I love this new rule. They should apply it to HS as well.

[OleMissCub]

This is probably the same across the country, but apparently the average non-Conference Ole Miss game last year lasted 3hr 15min and this year they last 2hr 21min.

[UK1679666180]

I've only been to a couple of Juco games so far this year and there wasn't much of a time difference given the sloppy play. Today will be my 1st 4yr college game. Of course, it includes a D3 school from N. WI and a bad Univ of IL-Chicago team so I'm not expecting a 2hr Fri night game.

[OleMissCub]

Some stats I just saw comparing the SEC's pre-conference stats overall from last year compared to this year.

 

BA: .313/.304

HR: 220/120

Total Runs/G: 8.1/6.7

Staff ERA: 4.04/3.17

[pitchcs]

As a former college pitcher, I love to see this

[shnsajax]

Since we don't have a college baseball thread, Texas beat Oklahoma St. 1-0 in the 15th innings with a 2 out steal of home.

[series65cubsfan]

Well done.

[lumafia]

This is great. They are turning college baseball into college softball.

[wade]

Should help hitters make the transition to the pros. And, more importantly, could keep someone from getting killed on a line drive. The bats had gotten way, way too hot.

[apete6]

I figured I'd toss this in here rather than create a new thread but Cal-Berkeley disbanded their baseball program last week. The Pac-10 is down to 9 baseball teams again. And while Utah does have a baseball program, Colorado doesn't so we'll only see a 10-team conference after expansion.

 

:|

 

Not so fast my friend. Cal raised enough money to keep baseball.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6309075

[Guest]

I figured I'd toss this in here rather than create a new thread but Cal-Berkeley disbanded their baseball program last week. The Pac-10 is down to 9 baseball teams again. And while Utah does have a baseball program, Colorado doesn't so we'll only see a 10-team conference after expansion.

 

:|

 

Not so fast my friend. Cal raised enough money to keep baseball.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6309075

 

That's great news.

[italianocubsfan7]

Nice story on how the new bats are effecting college baseball, and how the numbers speak for themselves: http://bit.ly/lCD6xm

 

Interesting stuff.

[Gmoney08]

Does anyone know if these are the same rules for HS now across the nation.

 

 

I went to go see my old school Lockport play in the playoffs recently and someone had said they don't use composite bats anymore. Was composite the bats with the rubber in the middle that stopped the sting?

 

They said homeruns are way down since the bat change a year or two ago.

 

I noticed the bat sounds way different when the ball is hit, sounds more like a wood bat than aluminum.

[Cubswin11]

Does anyone know if these are the same rules for HS now across the nation.

 

 

I went to go see my old school Lockport play in the playoffs recently and someone had said they don't use composite bats anymore. Was composite the bats with the rubber in the middle that stopped the sting?

 

They said homeruns are way down since the bat change a year or two ago.

 

I noticed the bat sounds way different when the ball is hit, sounds more like a wood bat than aluminum.

I don't think their is a standard rule across the nation, probably more likely to be by state or division/conference within a state. My HS conference switched from the standard metal bats to wood bats the year after I graduated in 2006.

[NewUserName]

Does anyone know if these are the same rules for HS now across the nation.

 

 

I went to go see my old school Lockport play in the playoffs recently and someone had said they don't use composite bats anymore. Was composite the bats with the rubber in the middle that stopped the sting?

 

They said homeruns are way down since the bat change a year or two ago.

 

I noticed the bat sounds way different when the ball is hit, sounds more like a wood bat than aluminum.

 

I think the IHSA has gone to the BBcor standard. I know the Jr Hi level has, as long as the bat is over 30". I have also heard about several HSers switching to wood bats for better bat speed. My son owns a Demarini bat that is composite and still is BBcor certified.

 

In summer Pony League the bat rules are more relaxed, but we require all the Jr Hi baseball players on our team to use BBcor. So a couple of kids on our team who are not Jr Hi players and a lot of players throughout the league use drop 9 composites. There is quite a bit of difference.