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BBCOR Bats Headed to High School Baseball

Next season, high school baseball will officially switch from the current aluminum alloy bats to the new bats, already in use by the NCAA.

In an effort to more closely emulate wooden bats and eliminate a banned process called “rolling," the Florida High School Athletic Association recently approved a measure to only allow bats approved by the BBCOR process.

BBCOR stands for Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution. In layman’s terms, it’s the bounce-back or trampoline effect the bat’s surface has when the ball makes contact with it. Imagine dropping a tennis ball onto a tennis racket. It bounces much higher that it would if it were bounced off the ground. The different aluminum alloys that are used in making bats have this bounce-back or trampoline effect. The result is that hitters get better drive and lift on the ball than they would with a wooden bat.

Aluminum bats perform differently with age. The older a bat gets, the more balls that get bounced off it and the more flexible its aluminum becomes. Thus, the time just before a bat’s failure is its most flexible time. Teams were rolling their bats between two nylon or hard rubber rollers to make them more flexible. This artificially ages the bat and boosts its trampoline effect.

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“Rolling was a big problem not just at the high school level but the collegiate level also,” said Rob Francis, St. Pete College’s baseball head coach.

The practice of “rolling” is banned by the NCAA and FHSAA. Starting in 2012, all aluminum and composite bats must meet the BBCOR specifications.

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What are the BBCOR specifications?

The older process called BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio) only measured the speed of the ball coming off the bat. The BBCOR process not only measures the speed of the ball coming off, but also the “bounciness” of the ball and bat. What the BESR process was not accounting for was the compression or lack thereof that was happening with older aluminum or composite bats.

When a baseball makes contact with a bat, it compresses, squishes down and much of the energy is dispersed. With an older aluminum bat, the flex in the aluminum wall allowed for less compression of the baseball itself. Thus, much of the energy is sent right back into the ball.

This brings up a safety concern. With the ball sling-shotting off the bat in such a way, it puts infielders, especially the pitcher, under fire. The new BBCOR regulations will help by making the game just a bit safer.

What does this mean for the game?

"You're going to see a whole different game of baseball, just like in college," said Chamberlain baseball head coach Robert Ooley.

First, it will mean fewer home runs. Let’s take a look at the top five home-run-hitting teams in NCAA Division 1 baseball.

1.)   Georgia Tech. In 41 games in 2010, the Yellowjackets hit 90 home runs. In 41 games in 2011, they hit just 29.

2.)   Morehead State. In 41 games in 2010, they hit 88 home runs. In 37 games in 2011, they hit 34.

3.)   New Mexico State. The team hit 87 home runs in 44 games in 2010. In 2011, they hit just 28 home runs in 40 games.

4.)   Georgia State. Batters hit 72 home runs in 41 games in 2010; in 2011, they hit 32 homers in 42 games.

5.)   Auburn. The Tigers hit 71 home runs last season in 41 games. This year, they hit 27 in 39 games.

Clearly, the long-ball numbers will decline at the high school level. This will have a two-way effect. One, it will curtail the number of home runs that are hit every year. The ball that just carried over the wall last year will drop in, likely for an easy out, in 2012. The ball will have a little less zing as it comes off the bat. Liners that were too hot to handle in 2011 might be quick outs in 2012.

This will no doubt bring down the number of runs per game. According to SPC Coach Rob Francis, the runs per game average in the NCAA this year dropped from 6.23 to 5.5. Doubles and triples will turn into base hits, and tagging up will be a bit more difficult.

The baseball world is decidedly split on the issue. Hitters obviously prefer the older aluminum bats.

“We have to make adjustments, shorten our swing, try to just hit line drives and just let home runs happen,” said former Clearwater Central Catholic slugger Jeff Campell.

There are several key differences from the older BESR bats. According to Campbell, the sweet spots are smaller, mis-hits are more noticeable, and the bats even sound different.

"The sweet spot got smaller," said Hillsborough baseball head coach Kenny White. "The sweet spot on a wood bat is about 2 inches, while the sweet spot on an aluminum bat is about 8 inches."

The new BESR bats fall on the smaller side of that range.

Pitchers are obviously in favor of the change.

“It makes it easier on us,” Campbell said. “It allows us to throw inside more and use the whole plate. We won’t have to nibble away at the corners anymore.”

St. Pete Catholic Assistant Coach Ryan Beckman feels the same way. “It allows pitchers to throw their fastball with confidence,” he said.

“It will change the way amateur baseball is played,” Francis said.

"Coaches have seen what will happen at the collegiate level," Ooley said. "10-7 games are now 2-1 games." 

With fewer long balls and lower-velocity hits, high school baseball will shift to more of a “small-ball” game. Base running, speed and defense will be earmarks of prep baseball next year.

“It’s making us re-evaluate how our rosters are made up,” Francis said.

"You can't just stick your four best hitters at the top of the lineup anymore," Ooley said. "The bottom part of the order is going to need to produce." 

Loading up a roster with a lot of power hitters is not going to pay the dividends it once did. Coaches will be looking for more complete players over power hitters, and there will be fewer power hitters to go around.

“It’s really going to separate kids that can hit and kids that can’t hit,” Francis said.

“Kids at the top of the order are going to get their hits, but you’re going to see a lot more bunts and hit-and-run situations with the bottom of the order,” Beckman said.

"There will be more focus on moving runners around, more emphasis on bunting, stealing, hit-and-runs, even squeeze plays," Ooley said. "We're going to have to think more as coaches." 

A great many coaches at the high school level will welcome the change. Base running and fundamentals are focuses at the prep level.

“Bomb-squad coaches won’t like it," Francis said, but "it’s great if you love defense.”

"I like the move; I wish we'd just go to wooden bats," White said. 

The main thrust of the change is to more closely emulate bat composition at the pro level.

Why not just go to wooden bats across the board?

Cost.

Major League teams shell out millions of dollars in salary every year. Purchasing 50, 60, 100 bats is a nonissue for them. Even some of the larger NCAA programs wouldn’t have a problem buying a forest full of wooden bats. However, the smaller colleges and high schools would be at a severe disadvantage. Although wooden bats are cheaper to make, they last only a fraction as long.

A decent BBCOR bat will run you from $150 to $300 and probably last for years. A $50 or $60 dollar wooden bat, and that’s on the cheap end, might last you one at-bat before it splinters into firewood.

All signs point to this switch as a step in the right direction. The NCAA is a great indication of how the prep game will change next year. While home run, RBI and offensive records will look unreachable, the strikeout, shutout and defensive records should fall like dominoes to any team able to capitalize on the shift in stratagy.

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