What is it going to take to get the NCAA to switch its regulations on aluminum bats? Yes, every sport has risk involved, but why add to the chances by allowing the bat manufacturers to continue to find loopholes around the bat standards? Why would it be such a problem to switch to wooden bats? Could not a compromise be found to make it safer for the pitchers and infielders? These questions and many others like them have been brought up the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, the majority of whom want to know how to make collegiate baseball safer for pitchers and infielders. It has been proven over the past few years that aluminum bats are becoming a risk to players and pitchers in the field. Many studies nave been conducted proving that aluminum bats can achieve a much faster bat speed at impact than its wooden counterpart. Studies have shown that baseballs hit by aluminum bats travel 20 percent faster than those hit by a wooden bat (Vaughn).
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the faster the bat speed during a swing, the greater hit-ball velocity it can achieve.
It is this velocity off the bat that becomes a danger to pitchers and infielders. To remedy this problem, the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee set forth new standards to prohibit the development and use of an aluminum bat that exceeds a batted ball speed of over 97 miles per hour. Barrel circumference cannot exceed 5 3/8 inches and a length / weight difference of 3 was also applied (Vaughn).
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This standard stated that a bat’s length cannot exceed its weight by a difference of 3.
But because bats are made of new high-tech alloys, the companies producing these bats can find ways around these restrictions set forth by the committee. The manufacturers have found a way to change the center of swing gravity in an aluminum bat. They achieved this using a technological weight-shifting technique. This change allows the bat to still meet standards, but gives it a faster batted ball speed than is allowed. Also the “sweet spot” on an aluminum bat is 10-11 inches, while on the less effective wood it is only 6-8 inches (Vaughn).
The “sweet spot” is the part of the bat which the ball connects with the best.
According to Minnesota’s coach John Anderson, people can tell. He said, “I’ve seen enough swings with wood bats and aluminum bats to know there is a difference” (Vaughn pg. 2).
Over the past few years a difference has been apparent. Research has been received showing the recent rising rate of serious injury to pitchers and infielders from batted infield line drives however, some still believe that it is not true (Vaughn).
Jim Darby is a vice president with Easton Sporting Goods of Van Nuys, California.
He called the worries about aluminum bats “a witch hunt.”Anyone who insists there are more injuries than with wood bats is wrong because there is no statistical data that would show that,” he said (Barnett pg. 2).
The Heiden Report declared in a recent study that over the past 4 years the proportion of baseball-related injuries that involved pitcher, other player, or spectator being hit by a batted ball showed no significant upward trend (Heiden).
And yet players continue to get injured, some very severely. Just ask Minnesota pitcher Ben Birk. He took a line drive off the face in a game last year against Miami.
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His X-rays showed three fractures in his sinus cavity and one above his left eye. Players all over the country have stories just like his proving the threat of aluminum bats. One of the main arguments against a switch to wood bats is the cost. It can’t be debated that aluminum bats last longer than wooden bats. It’s just a fact that metal is harder than wood. Yes, aluminum lasts longer than wood, and is easier to maintain, but how can you put a price on safety? Even if the change increases costs for some colleges, the cost is a small price to pay for the safety.
Safety is the very reason why Pro baseball doesn’t use aluminum bats. Players are bigger and stronger than ever before and it is dangerous enough with wooden bats. Bill Thurston, Amherst [Mass. ] colleges coach and editor for the NCAA’s baseball rules committee said, “You ” ll never see pro baseball with aluminum bats, they’d need to put a screen in front of the pitchers, put the infielders in the outfield, and move the fans back” (Barnett pg. 1).
With more than 10. 5 percent of NCAA senior male baseball players getting drafted by a Major League Baseball team, why isn’t it the same for college players? Players are just a developed at the collegiate level, so shouldn’t the factor for danger be the same? Because the NCAA Baseball committee continues to ignore the problem, college players getting drafted are struggling at the pro level. With many of these players using their college careers to refine their skills, the use of the aluminum bat continues to be the attribute to their downfall. Being use to a large “sweet spot” and the ability to take the inside pitch into a shallow part of the outfield is hindering them from success in the big leagues. If players were allowed to use a wooden bat they may have been much better prepared for the rigors of professional wooden bat baseball. It would not only help contribute to the batters continued success, but as well help the pitchers who wouldn’t have to change their pitching style or be afraid to leave themselves vulnerable on their follow-through.
Wooden bats are the solution to this problem. Hitters will learn how to hit and pitchers will learn how to pitch. It is a no-brainer. Works Cited 1.
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