Composite Bats – Page 7 – All About Baseball Bats

2013 DeMarini Baseball Bats

DeMarini has officially announced details of their new 2013 baseball bats. We have not swung them yet, but we expect good things as always from the Oregon baseball bat company founded by Ray DeMarni.

DeMarini will keep the 2013 CF5, 2013 VooDoo, 2013 Vexxum and 2013 M2M in the line with a few small changes. Bat manufacturers like DeMarini typically upgrade the composite or aluminum in the baseball bat to make the bats more durable.

The 2013 DeMarini CF5 gets a upgraded composite that is thinner and stronger (more durable).

2013 DeMarini Voodoo BBCOR Baseball Bat High School and College — 2013 DeMarini Voodoo Baseball Bat for BBCOR

The handle of the 2013 Voodoo baseball bat from Demarini gets the new composite, making it a little more durable.

The 2013 DeMarini Vexxum has a new end cap. And is a solid choice for anyone looking for a more balanced baseball bat a price that is not out of the park.

The 2013 DeMarini M2M gets the best graphics of all the new DeMarini baseball bats.

New USSSA Bat Stamp For 2013

By now, most softball players know there is a new stamp required on January 1st, 2013 for USSSA softball bats. All USSSA softball bats labeled as 2013 will have the spiffy new finger print stamp.

The 2013 USSSA softball bat rule is similar to the ASA bat rule from a few years back: 2013 softball bats will not be allowed to exceed 1.20 BPF at any point in their lifespan, meaning break-in time will be cut from a few hundred swings to a few dozen swings on most softball bats.

Upon exceeding the 1.20 BPF, bats will develop spiraling “cracks” up and down the barrel of the bat, indicating the bat should be removed from play.

Don’t throw your old USSSA softball bat away just yet.

Many private fields like Big League Dreams are expected to allow the old USSSA standard softball bats indefinitely. Moreover, many tournaments will still allow the old USSSA bats as well.

The 2013 and 2014 Easton, Miken, and Worth softball bats all carry the new USSSA stamp.

Individuals are rapidly buying up any remaining softball bats with the old standard, knowing that they can no longer be made, they will be in high demand for leagues and tournaments that do not acknowledge the new standard.

How To Return Banned 33″/30oz Marucci Cat 5 BBCOR Bats

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR CONSUMERS (FAQ)

Q: Will Marucci replace my 33×30 Cat5² BBCOR?
A: Yes. We Marucci stands behind their products and will replace your 33×30 Cat5²BBCOR with another Marucci bat.

Q: What are my options in replacing my bat?

A: You can find out more details on Marucci’s return program for the 33-inch CAT5² BBCOR bat at www.maruccisports.com/returns.

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR BATS TO THE STORE YOU BOUGHT IT FROM. THEY ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO TAKE THEM BACK – THEY MUST BE RETURNED TO MARUCCI ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS FOUND AT www.maruccisports.com/returns.

Q: When can I expect to receive my replacement bat?

A: Marucci will process returns in the order that they are received and anticipates sending out the first replacement bats in March. For those opting to upgrade to the Marucci Black or choosing the Professional-Cut Wood bats, Marucci will begin fulfilling returns immediately.

Q: Why was the 33-inch CAT5² banned?

A: A very small sample of three bats was tested and those results were assumed to apply to the thousands of bats in the field.

33″/30oz. Marucci Cat 5 BBCOR Banned In NCAA

The 33″/30 ounce Marucci Cat 5 BBCOR has been decertified by the NCAA.

No other sizes or models are affected by this ruling. No word on what Marucci will do to compensated customers who purchased 33 inch Cat 5 BBCOR bats for NCAA play.

Below is the NCAA release regarding the ruling.

VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
MEMORANDUM
February 17, 2012
TO: Head Baseball Coaches, Conference Commissioners, Compliance Officers
and Coordinators of Umpires.
FROM: Jeff Hurd, chair
Baseball Rules Committee.
SUBJECT: Decertification of 33-inch Marucci CAT5 bat.
This memo serves as the NCAA’s official notice that the decertification process
has been triggered for the Marucci CAT5 33-inch model. Effective immediately
and until further notice, these bats will not be allowed for use in any NCAA
baseball competition.
For ease of reference, a photo of the bat is below:
Team representatives are asked to check your team’s stock of bats and withhold
these bats if your team is in possession of any. Conference administrators are
asked to share this information with your umpires as well. If this bat is attempted
to be used during competition, it should be considered an illegal bat and subject to
NCAA Baseball Rule 1-12-b, (see the penalty section for procedures).
For any questions on this decision, please contact Ty Halpin (Playing Rules,
thalpin@ncaa.org) or Cameron Schuh (Public and Media Relations,
cschuh@ncaa.org) at the NCAA.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
TYH:jjr
cc: Mr. Gene McArtor
Baseball Rules Committee
Selected NCAA Staff Members

Marucci Cat 5 BBCOR Out Of Stock For Extended Amount Of Time

The Cat 5 Marucci has been the most popular BBCOR bat in baseball for the past year and supplies are running low at most dealers. With the easy to swing, balanced feel and very fair price of $199 the Cat 5 is an all around great choice for high school and college baseball players. If you are planning on swinging the Marucci Cat 5 BBCOR this year, you better snatch one up right now, as many dealers are estimating back orders to arrive in April, 2012.

If you can’t find the Marucci Cat 5 in stock, we suggest checking out the Marucci Black BBCOR, which is made from the same aluminum alloy as the Cat 5, but comes with a composite handle and feels even smoother than the Cat 5.

The Rip It Prototype 2 is also a great choice, but can be hard to find as well.

The DeMarini Voodoo is the tried and true veteran in the BBCOR bat world. The Voodoo is still one of the best BBCOR bats out.

ASA To End “Grandfathering” Of Pre 2008 ASA Softball Bats In Early 2012?

[poll id=”4″]

UPDATE: This did not come to pass. We have heard from ASA officials that ASA would rather use a softer softball to curb bat performance, rather than change the bat rules again.

2008 and prior ASA softball bats that were grandfathered in and legal for play in ASA, will no longer be legal in a few weeks. More to come.

This means your Easton Extended, Easton SCN8 and all other pre abi (advanced break in) bats are going to be worthless in about week (according to what we heard).

Rip It Prototype 2 BBCOR Baseball Bat

And the best BBCOR baseball bat for 2012 is the Rip It Prototype 2 BBCOR bat.

Check out our poll (and vote) over at our run down of the best BBCOR bats.

2012-2013 Worth Slow Pitch Softball Bats

Worth Sports has announced seven new composite slow pitch softball bats for the upcoming season.

New Worth Softball Bats:

Worth 454 Legit USSSA
Worth 454 Legit ASA
Worth 454 Legit Resmondo USSSA
Worth 454 Resmondo ASA
Worth Titan 5.4L USSSA
Worth BJ Fulk ASA
Worth Senior Softball 454 (No warranty)

The major change in the new Worth softball bats is a switch over from the current USSSA standard to the new standard that goes into place on January 1st, 2013. The new standard adopted by USSSA basically prevents slow pitch softball bats from breaking in over the 1.20 BPF standard, not unlike what ASA did a couple of years ago.

2012 Rawlings BBCOR Baseball Bats – Velo, Machine

We have just seen and swung the new 2012 Rawlings Velo and Rawlings Machine BBCOR bats.

The 5150 stays in the 2012 lineup and remains unchanged from 2011. Rawlings is introducing the 5150 Velo, selling for $249.95 it is based on the 5150 Alloy, but comes with an upgraded end cap that takes away vibration and makes the bat feel more solid.

The Rawlings Machine BBCOR uses the 5150 alloy barrel but has a composite handle, making this $300 BBCOR the comfortable to swing, but also the most end loaded.

The good thing about the 2012 Rawlings BBCOR bats is they are all a little different, and you can tell the minute you hit them.

Here’s a quick break down of the 2012 Rawlings BBCOR bats:

Rawlings 5150 BBCOR – Model BBCA – $199

Same bat as 2011. No changes.
One piece all aluminum
Loud ping
Very balanced
A little bit of vibration, not much, but the most of all three of the bats
Has a hollow, almost golf club feeling when the ball is struck

Rawlings 5150 Velo BBCOR – Model BB51V – $249

New for 2012
One piece all aluminum
Nice ping sound, but not as loud as original 5150
Very balanced
Little to no vibration due to the new end cap
Feels more solid when the ball is hit

Rawlings Machine BBCOR – BBMC – $299

New for 2012
Composite handle with 5150 aluminum alloy barrel
Least ping sound of all, but sounds good
End loaded
No vibration
Feels great when hitting the ball

We enjoyed all three bats, but if I was going to buy one, it would be the Velo 5150. All the bats have the same “pop” and the Velo being balanced with pretty much no vibration makes it hard to beat.

Pony Bat Rules For 2012

With recent rule change in the past twelve months, no doubt ball players and their parents are wondering what baseball bats will be legal in Pony Baseball for 2012.

After speaking on the phone with a representative from PONY baseball.

Here are the rules for the 2012 PONY season:

2 ¾” barrel bats are NOT approved for play at any level.
Material is NOT a factor at any level of play.
Any 2 ¼” barrel non-wood bat that is marked with “1.15 BPF” and stamped “Approved for play in PONY Baseball” can be used at any level of play.
Any 2 5/8” barrel non-wood bat (that is not a -3) can be used at any level of play.
If a player wants to use a -3 non-wood bat, it MUST be BBCOR approved.

So the only changes from the 2011 season are:

2 ¾” barrel bats are no longer legal
-3 bats must be BBCOR approved

Marucci Black BBCOR Bat Review

We procured a couple of Marucci Black BBCOR baseball bats this past week and we were finally able to get a few hundred swings on the shiny, jet black BBCOR bat.

We all know the Marucci Cat5 BBCOR bat is stupid hot. We wanted to see how the Black compared to the white Cat 5. I started with the orignal Cat 5 and was reminded why this is considered one of the best, if not the best BBCOR bat on the market. After about 25 pitches, I eagerly picked up the 2012 model Marucci to see what $100 extra would give me, besides a composite handle.

The sound of the Black is more hollow than the loud ping of the Cat 5, but it is not a funky, unnormal sound, it sounds good.

One thing that sets Marucci BBCOR bats apart from many other bats is the balance, they are simply easier to swing than most other BBCOR’s. (Note: The TPX Z1000 and the Anderson Ignite are also insanely balanced and easy to swing BBCOR bats).

After the first few swings and noticing the balance was giving me added bat control and ability to put the bat on the ball, I realized how smooth and comfortable my hands were. The Harmonic Dampener really does work, there is absolutely no vibration in the Black BBCOR.

Marucci is claims the barrel on the Black has a 33% larger sweet spot… After the first day of testing, I would have to agree. I switched back and forth from the Cat5 to the Black and consistently, I was shocked at how much better I was hitting with the Black. Just minutes earlier, I would have taken the Cat 5 up to bat, no questions asked.

Up until now, I would have said $199 would get you the best BBCOR available, but today unfortunately, I have to throw another hundred on that number and say the Black Marucci is worth the extra $100 if you are a serious baseball player and need to have the best baseball equipment on the diamond.

2012 Anderson NanoTek Baseball Bats and Softball Bats Go Composite

Since 1999, when Anderson made their first softball bat, there has been only one composite bat to come out of their company, the Anderson Matrix for slow pitch softball.

For 2012, across it’s entire line, they are releasing the Anderson NanoTek with a composite handle in both baseball bats and softball bats.

The Anderson NanoTek BBCOR baseball bat has been in the works for over a year and is expected to hit stores sometime in October or November, 2011

We have an email into Anderson requesting more information regarding the composite material they are using in the new NanoTek bats and we will update this post as soon as we get the down and dirty details.