Change in bats impacting numbers throughout all of college baseball

  • brian questel
  • April 21, 2011
  • 275
                        
042511 bats Promo: NCAA rule has made a big change in offensive production in college baseball Change in bats impacting numbers throughout all of college baseball By Brian Questel It used the “crack” of the bat that foresaw something momentous happening. Then it was the ringing “ping” for nearly three decades. Today, the ear is going to have to recognize something else. The NCAA, to the delight of some and the anger of others, instituted new bat rules this spring. The impact has been immediate, especially in Division I. Through games of April 3, Division I teams are hitting 0.47 home runs and scoring 5.63 runs a game, compared to 0.85 home runs and 6.98 runs a year ago. Batting averages have dropped from .301 to .279, which is also reflected in a huge drop in ERA from 5.83 to 4.62. Division III statistics reflect a similar change. Through a similar time period a year ago, batting averages have dropped from .311 to .291, scoring is down from 7.05 to 6.03 and home runs fell from 0.54 to 0.30 home runs. The Division III ERA has dropped from 6.23 to 5.11 and shutouts have jumped from 303 a year ago to 420 this season. Not surprisingly, those of the offensive persuasion aren’t thrilled with junking the high-tech, supercharged aluminum and composite bats for bats that are more like their wooden cousins from yester-year. Others, like College of Wooster pitching coach Jeff Bricker, see no harm in returning to low-tech. “There definitely has been a change,” said Bricker. “I don’t know how it’s reflected in the statistics, but watching game after game, you only get a big inning occasionally. Overall, especially on the hitting end, it’s changed. Power is definitely down. Balls used to leave (Wooster’s) Art Murray (Field) and balls are not flying out. Last weekend we had 50 mph winds and a few got out, but not that many.” The change has allowed Bricker and others to revert to old-school pitching. “It’s changed the way we pitch,” he said. “In the past we’d use the fastball and a hard slider with the old bats – now we’re going back to the slow curve. Now if you make a little mistake, hitters don’t hit it out of the park. We’re pitching inside more than we use to. “What happened with the old bats you could hit the ball out even if you didn’t hit it on the sweet spot. Now, it’s not going out. You might get a hit, but it’s not going out of the park. There’s still a difference between aluminum and wood. With the new bats now, you saw a guy off, he still might get a flare to right. A wood bat would break.” While some of the offensive numbers are down, Bricker also believes it benefits another aspect of the game. “People are playing better defense,” said Bricker. “The ball is not coming off the bat as fast. Some team’s fielding percentages are way up.” Bricker played with old aluminum and wood bats in high school. “When I started playing high school baseball, Easton’s good aluminum bat had not come out,” said Bricker. “We were still using the first (-generation) aluminum and wood bats. Then my senior year the good Easton came out and that was the revolution. I’d say that bat, the first good aluminum bat, would be similar to this bat. That was a long time ago, though. I think those were minus-3s (Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution). Then we used those lethal weapons in the late 1990s, swinging minus 5s, which got 120 mph exit speed, and Wooster hit 104 HR in a season. “These bats seem to make the game more balanced all three phases. Those proverbial 140-pounders should not be hit home runs. They can still hit and do the other parts of the game, but they shouldn’t be hitting home runs.” That was certainly the case throughout baseball for an extended period of time, but apparently no more. “It got real skewed for a time,” said Bricker. “The biggest thing was fielding. The infielders had no chance when the ball came off the bat. When you watch games in the big leagues you see shots hit by the third baseman and first baseman and they can’t react. Middle infielders always have a chance to field the ball. Not with the old (college) bats. The shortstop and second baseman would take one step and the ball would be by them. With the new bats they have time to make plays. “The only complaints I’ve seen, in my opinion, are that it is different. It’s a change.” Scot shortstop Greg Van Horn sees a difference as well with the speed of the ball off the bat. “There definitely is a difference,” said Van Horn, who has played in summer wood bat leagues. “It’s hard not to notice how much slower the ball comes off the bat compared to last year. They are definitely getting closer to wood bats because they’ve narrowed down the sweet spot. In general, with wood bats when you hit a ball with the barrel of the bat, it feels better than these new bats. There is nothing better than feeling a ball hit square off barrel of a (wood) bat. “Bt, this is my last year playing with metal, so it’s hard to switch.” Matt Barnes enjoys the change. The senior is one of the top Division III pitchers in the country and he’s off to a 4-1 start. “I’m a little biased. I love how the ball doesn’t jump off the bat and get to the gaps like it used to,” said Barnes, who has worked 39.1 innings this season and allowed only five doubles. “These bats have a lot less pop. I think it makes good teams better, especially at the Division III level. It hasn’t taken away guys with strength and the ability to swing the bats and hit with power and put it in play more often. At the same time, guys with not as much strength and ability, that don’t have that pop, aren’t. “Knock on wood, but I haven’t given up a home run or a triple yet this season, and (Sunday) the winds were 35 mph. I definitely have the best stuff since I’ve been here, so that is probably a combination of the two.” Safety was one issue that prompted the remake of the bats, but Barnes isn’t sure he’s seen a noticeable difference from his position. “On anything hit up the middle on the ground or a line drive, it’s hit hard regardless. A few flew by me (Sunday),” he laughed. “They all look fast when they are coming at you. “The way the game is played, though, I don’t think I seen a big change. Good teams are still swinging the bats. Not everyone has abandoned that and gone small ball.”


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