New Bats are Hit in U.S.A.

We wish to thank National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in U.S. for agreeing to quote a part of the July 27 edition of NCAA News Direct as follows:

Japan High School Baseball Federation, along with many other counterparts in the world including U.S., use non-wood bat mainly for economy.

The baseball committee also reviewed final data in college baseball for the 2011 season that show significant changes in power and run production in the wake of new bat specifications that took effect this year.

In Division I, teams had a .282 batting average compared to .305 in 2010. Home runs per game dropped to 0.52 compared to 0.94 in 2010. Overall scoring dipped from 6.98 last season to 5.58 this year. Also, earned-run averages were 4.67 in 2011 compared to 5.95 in 2010. The overall fielding percentage registered an all-time high of .964.

Divisions II and III statistics mirror those collected in Division I. Division II batting averages dropped from .309 to .289; Division III batters managed a .292 average, down from .314 in 2010. Division II batters hit 0.44 home runs per game in 2011, down from 0.72 per game the previous season. Division III sluggers managed 0.35 home runs a game compared to 0.58 in 2010.

The new bat standards that went into effect this season feature a stricter “Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution” standard that reduces a batted ball’s exit speed.

The BBCOR formula provides a better measure of a bat’s performance and allows the Baseball Rules Committee and bat-testing laboratories to better predict field performance based on lab tests. The goal is for non-wood bats that meet this new standard to perform similarly to wood bats. The Baseball Rules Committee implemented the standards with hopes of bring more balance to the game.