Aluminum bats have their place in baseball.
The non-wood bats are all right in Little League, Babe Ruth, Teener, High School, American Legion or any other type of youth baseball.
But they are not OK on any level of professional baseball, which has always used the traditional wood bat.
And they should not be all right for College Baseball, especially on the Division I level.
Yes, it’s time for the clank of the aluminum once again in College Baseball.
The NCAA playoff are about to begin and fans of the game will be witness to the tournament that will lead up to and including the College World Series.
The CWS has been televised every year since ESPN came into existence in 1979. It is a permanent rite of spring and has grown in stature and all the more popular over the years.
Television and media exposure have led to a deeper playoff system with more teams getting an opportunity to play for the big trophy,
Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, becomes a major league venue for a week as the eight teams in the CWS duke it out for the crown.
And there is undeniable baseball talent among the big college teams.
Just ask Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, or even Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
Those players and a lot more played College Baseball.
College Baseball and Aluminum Bats
Most if not all the players were drafted by Major League Baseball teams after their high school days in the MLB amateur draft.
Some players would rather get a college education and play the game at the same time, and worry about professional baseball after graduation,
College Baseball has come of age in America and is talent wise, is on a par with mid-level Minor League Baseball.
There is only one problem for the baseball purist in today’s college games.
That is Aluminum or Metal Bats.
Aluminum Bats Economical
Before the 1970’s, when metal bats were first introduced, baseball on all levels was played with wooden bats.
But amateur baseball went to metal for one reason. The problem with wooden bats is they break.
Metal bats are durable and more economical. It only makes sense for cash strapped Little League, High School and Legion baseball leagues to save costs and stays with the alloy product.
College baseball went with metal bats for much of the same reasons.
While college baseball programs charge admission to their games, they don’t make the same kind of money as football and basketball because the seasons are comparatively short.
Baseballs Are Hit Farther and Faster With Aluminum Bats
Metal bats in college baseball is wrong for a number of reasons; mainly, the pitchers throw just as hard as professional baseball, but the bats the hitters use make batted balls hit that much harder and farther.
Line drives to infielders and outfielders have that much more zing on them with the hitters bat speed. That alone is dangerous to fielders who might not react quick enough to a line drive.
Balls hit off the end of the bat still manages to go out for home runs.
There’s no such thing as jamming a hitter and breaking his bat. Those balls also tend to travel a long way.
Still, the NCAA is sticking with metal bats and always makes rule changes for which bats are acceptable.
Wood bats are still used in summer leagues for college players, like the Cape Cod League.
But in today’s baseball world, most players will never touch a wood bat until they sign with a major league organization.
