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Fastpitch & Slow Pitch Softball Bats: Miken, Demarini, Easton And Worth Sports
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Published: December 15, 2006
Softball bats can range in price from just under $500 for the Miken MSTC T22C6 Titanium Composite Slow Pitch Softball Bat to as little as $15 for the Rawlings SP1 Select Slow-Pitch Softball Bat. What is difference between the bats, besides the stern, almost reprimanding pursed lips of the George Washington engraved bills that pave the space between the two?
A lot of different factors (besides price) come into play when picking the right softball bat.
Materials, size, weight and the long list of proprietary technologies come into play.
The two most common materials used in the construction of softball bats are aluminum/ aluminum alloy and graphite/ titanium.
For many years, aluminum has been the preferred material for softball bats. It is relatively lighter than other metals, which allows for superior control and higher bat speed. Aluminum and aluminum alloys are reliable, resilient metals preventing the cracks and fractures of their wooden counterparts. Aluminum softball bats can be found in both single-layer and double-layer designs. Double layer construction has the added benefit of greater resilience but also offers more power.
Found with increasing frequency in the hands of batters are softball bats lined with graphite or titanium, even lighter alternatives to aluminum bats. Titanium or graphite, although more expensive than aluminum, have been found to be more impervious to breaks with the added benefit of a reduction in vibration when connecting, ideally, with a ball, off the center of the sweet spot.
Tailoring the softball bat to the player is the most important consideration in the search for the right bat. Although materials and bat design are the most promoted aspects of a bat, the age, height and weight of the batter are most important when trying to get the best fit. Generally speaking, shorter, younger, lighter players use the shorter bats while taller, older, heavier batters opt for longer bats. Players generally choose the heaviest bat they can swing comfortably with the most authority. Heavier bats usually allow for greater power while lighter bats allow a batter to generate a speedier swing.
Innovations in bat design are generally improvements to barrel size, bat taper and grip. Barrel size is the primary influence on achieving an optimal sweet spot- the bigger the barrel, the bigger the sweet spot. The caveat to a large sweet spot is a heavier bat and thus a slower swing speed. The taper of a softball bat is the size of the bat's handle. A thinner handle allows a batter to rotate their wrists faster while swinging the bat. The grip of a baseball bat generally comes in variety of materials and offers a mix of tackiness or shock absorption.
Most bats feature an olla podrida of proprietary technologies.
Miken softball bats offer patented technologies like ESD, Helix Technology, E-Flex, CarbonXshell and X-Tack. DeMarini softball bats feature a list of innovations like Half & Half, N2M, SC3, Flex-Tuned, Rotation Index and PosiTack. Easton bats have incorporated Zyvek Nanosolve materials, Stealth Comp Carbon Nanotube Technology (CNT). Worth softball bats integrate engineering improvements like Perimeter-Weighted, Power Plug, Optimized Compression, Whiplash, Silencer, enhanced grips and knobs as well as alloy improvements like Blue Aramid Composite, Manocor Nano Technology and Prodigy scandium.
For slow or fast pitch softball, the right bat can make all the difference in having a great game and an ordinary game.
Sources:
2007 Catalog. 2006. Worth Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.worthsports.com
Slow-Pitch. 2006. DeMarini Sports, Inc. 11 Dec 2006. www.demarini.com
Fast-Pitch. 2006. DeMarini Sports, Inc. 11 Dec 2006. www.demarini.com
Fast-Pitch Softball Bats. 2006. Miken Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.mikensports.com
Slow-Pitch Softball Bats. 2006. Miken Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.mikensports.com
Baseball/ Softball Bats. 2006. Easton Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.eastonsports.com
How to Buy a Softball Bat. 2006. Dick's Sporting Goods. 11 Dec 2006. www.dicksportinggoods.com
A lot of different factors (besides price) come into play when picking the right softball bat.
Related Articles
The two most common materials used in the construction of softball bats are aluminum/ aluminum alloy and graphite/ titanium.
For many years, aluminum has been the preferred material for softball bats. It is relatively lighter than other metals, which allows for superior control and higher bat speed. Aluminum and aluminum alloys are reliable, resilient metals preventing the cracks and fractures of their wooden counterparts. Aluminum softball bats can be found in both single-layer and double-layer designs. Double layer construction has the added benefit of greater resilience but also offers more power.
Found with increasing frequency in the hands of batters are softball bats lined with graphite or titanium, even lighter alternatives to aluminum bats. Titanium or graphite, although more expensive than aluminum, have been found to be more impervious to breaks with the added benefit of a reduction in vibration when connecting, ideally, with a ball, off the center of the sweet spot.
Tailoring the softball bat to the player is the most important consideration in the search for the right bat. Although materials and bat design are the most promoted aspects of a bat, the age, height and weight of the batter are most important when trying to get the best fit. Generally speaking, shorter, younger, lighter players use the shorter bats while taller, older, heavier batters opt for longer bats. Players generally choose the heaviest bat they can swing comfortably with the most authority. Heavier bats usually allow for greater power while lighter bats allow a batter to generate a speedier swing.
Innovations in bat design are generally improvements to barrel size, bat taper and grip. Barrel size is the primary influence on achieving an optimal sweet spot- the bigger the barrel, the bigger the sweet spot. The caveat to a large sweet spot is a heavier bat and thus a slower swing speed. The taper of a softball bat is the size of the bat's handle. A thinner handle allows a batter to rotate their wrists faster while swinging the bat. The grip of a baseball bat generally comes in variety of materials and offers a mix of tackiness or shock absorption.
Most bats feature an olla podrida of proprietary technologies.
Miken softball bats offer patented technologies like ESD, Helix Technology, E-Flex, CarbonXshell and X-Tack. DeMarini softball bats feature a list of innovations like Half & Half, N2M, SC3, Flex-Tuned, Rotation Index and PosiTack. Easton bats have incorporated Zyvek Nanosolve materials, Stealth Comp Carbon Nanotube Technology (CNT). Worth softball bats integrate engineering improvements like Perimeter-Weighted, Power Plug, Optimized Compression, Whiplash, Silencer, enhanced grips and knobs as well as alloy improvements like Blue Aramid Composite, Manocor Nano Technology and Prodigy scandium.
For slow or fast pitch softball, the right bat can make all the difference in having a great game and an ordinary game.
Sources:
2007 Catalog. 2006. Worth Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.worthsports.com
Slow-Pitch. 2006. DeMarini Sports, Inc. 11 Dec 2006. www.demarini.com
Fast-Pitch. 2006. DeMarini Sports, Inc. 11 Dec 2006. www.demarini.com
Fast-Pitch Softball Bats. 2006. Miken Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.mikensports.com
Slow-Pitch Softball Bats. 2006. Miken Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.mikensports.com
Baseball/ Softball Bats. 2006. Easton Sports. 11 Dec 2006. www.eastonsports.com
How to Buy a Softball Bat. 2006. Dick's Sporting Goods. 11 Dec 2006. www.dicksportinggoods.com
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