Sophomore infielder Ryan Jones stretches before his turn to bat Tuesday at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing. The Spartans are off to 22-10 start using small-ball techniques with the new, thicker bats.
The reaction is the same every time.
Ask MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. about the new aluminum bats used in college baseball this season, and prepare to watch his eyes roll and his head shake while he mutters a series of barely audible words spoken under his breath.
As a self-proclaimed “offensive guy,” it’s safe to say Boss was less than thrilled when the NCAA announced a change from the old aluminum bats to new, less-lively versions last summer. The NCAA’s goal with the new equipment, Boss said, was to make the bats safer and shorten games by cutting down on the scoring.
Boss said the main change made to the new bats is the thickness of their walls. While last season’s bats were more hollow, creating more pop right off the bat, the 2011 editions have thicker walls. The thickness cuts down on the speed of the ball on contact, which in turn keeps the ball from traveling as far as quickly.
“They tried to make it more like a wood bat,” Boss said. “They succeeded.”
It’s not so much the change that bothers Boss, but the significance of the change. The first time Boss watched his players hit with the new bats, Boss said the difference was more “drastic” than he ever anticipated.
“I think we’re going overboard,” Boss said. “There’s probably a fine line somewhere in the middle of what last year’s bat was and what this year’s bat is.”
First impressions
The new regulations on bats were implemented for the beginning of this season, but coaches and players were aware of the changes last summer. MSU received its modified bats from Nike in the fall and immediately began adjusting to them.
“I had heard bad things about them,” senior first basemen Jeff Holm said of the new bats. “Then I took a couple rounds with them and realized it for myself.”
Traditionally a power hitter, Holm was not excited when he was told he would be using a bat designed to limit the distance a ball will travel this season. After taking batting practice with the new bats and a little more experimenting, he was even less excited.
“I took alternating rounds with wood and the new metal ones,” Holm said.
“And for me, the wood was flying better.”
Fellow senior Brandon Eckerle did not even have to swing one of the new bats before he noticed a difference from last season’s model. As soon as the veteran center fielder picked one of the bats up, he said he knew there were some dramatic changes.
“The first thing I noticed with the new bats was the weight distribution,” Eckerle said.
“They’re really top-heavy, which is just a different feel for you.”
In action
Mid-way through the 2011 college baseball season, there was no denying the impact of the defense-friendly bats. As of April 3 — approximately the middle of the season for most Division I teams — every major batting statistic was lower nationally than it was at the same time last season.
Batting average is down from .301 to .279 and scoring has dropped from 6.98 runs per game to 5.63.
However, despite not being the biggest proponents of the new bats, the Spartans (22-10 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) have not seemed to mind them so far. Eckerle (.438) and Holm (.385) lead the Big Ten in batting average, and Holm already has four home runs in 2011 after hitting three last season.
Holm said his swing is the same as it was with the old bats, but he now is a more selective hitter.
It shows in the statistics, as Holm is on pace to finish with better numbers this season in nearly every hitting category.
Still, Holm hesitates to say his opinion of the new bats has changed, but he did admit college hitters will be able to survive without the old bats.
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“Hitters that love to hit, they’re going to get the job done one way or another,” Holm said. “If it’s small balls or singles the other way, the good hitter’s going to figure it out.”
Unlike Holm, Eckerle is quick to express how pleased he is with the power-limiting bats. Never before mistaken for a regular home run threat, Eckerle said he likes the new bats, which favor players who can reach base with a bunt or steal a couple bases.
“If anything, it helps me,” Eckerle said. “There’s a lot more small ball, a lot more bunting and stealing bases, moving guys over and manufacturing runs.”
MSU, which leads the Big Ten in stolen bases (56) and is second in sacrifice bunts (35) and sacrifice flies (17), has used small ball effectively this season.
However, Boss said that has less to do with the new bats and more to do with the fact the Spartans simply are better built for small ball.
Although Eckerle might be one of the biggest fans of the new bats, it’s the MSU pitchers who have benefited most.
The Spartans are first in the Big Ten with a team ERA of 3.07 and are led by senior right-hander Kurt Wunderlich, who is 6-1 on the season.
Wunderlich said he hasn’t made any big changes to the way he pitches, especially to good hitters, but he did say he is free to be more aggressive with the average hitters.
“The little guys aren’t going to leave the yard on you like they used to with a little dink home run,” Wunderlich said. “So that kind of helps the mindset of a pitcher.”
New standard
As much as Boss said he would like to see the NCAA go back to the old bats or at least reduce the modifications made, he said he doesn’t expect any changes to be made anytime soon.
“There’s a lot of guys that don’t care for it,” Boss said. “But it would take some time to get any sort of action done.”
As far as Boss can tell, the modified bats are the new standard in college baseball and will be for some time. And although he has one of the best hitting teams in the Big Ten this season, and the Spartans have a legitimate chance at their first conference championship since 1979, Boss said he doesn’t anticipate ever becoming a fan of the new bats.
“I still don’t like them,” Boss said with a smile.
“I don’t think that will ever change.”
