In Reply to: Should the NCAA ban all but WOOD bats? posted by fanoverboard on June 10, 2010 at 11:00:08
I still think a lot of it comes down to overall costs. Composite bats just became way too dangerous because of what you can do to them that make them lethal. I've seen some pretty bad stuff in slow pitch softball because of them.
As far as metal bats, College baseball changed the length to weight ratio because the lighter bats were more dangerous and way too many homeruns. Now the homeruns have gone way down. Players also have better swings now, since you just can't shorten up anymore and have power.
If you really wanted to, you could change the compression and barrell size to be equal to wood bats and have the same results with less costs. It would be bad for business though for the bat manufacturers. First injury with a broken wood bat and someone would complain about those dangers.
In Junior College, you are starting to see a lot more wood bat leagues. What I really like about the wood bat league is you really have to work your swing to be successful and you have a much more accurate gauge as to who can progress to the next level. If the NCAA went that way, I think you see a lot more strategy in games such as hit and runs.
Personally, I'm fine with the bats if they are at a -3 ratio and don't use composites. I would also be fine if they went to wood bats. I just wonder what the overall costs for the programs would be if they went that way.