Expect Fewer Home Runs In College This Year

The NCAA has changed the rules on bats they certify to be used this year in Division 1 college baseball and the early reports are to expect home runs to drop off. The NCAA has a new procedure to test the bats to make them perform more like wood bats than under the previous testing method.

There have been concerns in recent years about how hard the ball comes off the bats making it more and more dangerous to be a pitcher, so they've started trying to make the bat manufactures conform to new standards. Head coaches such as George Horton at Oregon and Auggie Garrido at Texas think the changes will be dramatic.

Aaron Fit at Baseball America had a great write up about it today detailing the new bats and how coaches think it'll affect the college game. Not everyone thinks the bats are bad, just that they'll change how the game is played. It's a good informative article and I highly suggest you read (thank you to Colin Tanner for forwarding):

Knock On Wood

If you're wondering about high school baseball, out here in Southern California, they're changing those bats also. The CIF hasn't announced their list of approved bats yet (late November early December) but like the NCAA, the bats will need to comply with the BBCOR standards (Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution). Here's a link from the CIF with more details:

CIF Baseball Bat Implementation

At least I know one thing my 16 year old is getting for Christmas this year!

Bill