NCAA puts a moratorium on composite baseball bats, are softball bats next?
I was just sent a copy of a memorandum that was sent out to all the major bat manufacturers. This particular memorandum is about composite baseball bats, but it opens the question What about softball bats. Instead of describing the memorandum I am just going to post it, and you an read it for yourself.
MEMORANDUM
July 17, 2009
TO: Athletics Directors, Conference Commissioners, and Head Baseball Coaches.
FROM: xxxxx, xxxxxxx
NCAA Baseball Rules Committee.
SUBJECT: Composite Bat Moratorium.
This correspondence is being sent on behalf of the Baseball Rules Committee, alerting the college baseball and bat manufacturing community to an important action being taken in regard to certain bats that have been used in NCAA competition. After significant dialog and review of research collected during the Division I Baseball Championship, the committee is proposing an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the use of composite barreled bats. The committee believes this action is needed in order to protect the integrity of the game and to enhance the safety of the student-athletes.
Before the committee’s recent meeting, numerous concerns were voiced by the membership with a request for action. After a thorough review of compliance testing and a review of the improved performance of composite bats, often exceeding NCAA acceptable limits, these concerns have proven to be valid. Therefore, the committee has decided to put an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the use of composite bats in NCAA competition.
The research reviewed included compliance testing during the Division I Baseball Championship. During this testing, 80 percent of the composite bats tested failed the current NCAA performance level. Because all bat designs must pass this test before mass production, this research indicates that the performance of such bats changed thereafter, mostly likely due to repeated, normal use and/or intentional alteration. Offensive statistics at the Division I level also indicate a significant increase in batting averages and home runs the past two seasons.
While the committee is mindful of the possibility that its proposed moratorium may have an economic impact on some NCAA member institutions, the committee believes that the testing data and other evidence on this matter, as well as its responsibility to protect the integrity of the game and the welfare of student-athletes, clearly outweigh any such impact.
The committee requests your feedback regarding this action, which will be considered by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel at an upcoming meeting. Please send any feedback to xxxx. xxxxxx at the NCAA by Monday, August 3 and it will be shared with the Panel.
Thank you for your attention to this memorandum.
xxxxxx, xxxxxxx
The memo I received was to: College Baseball Bat Manufacturers rather than: Athletics Directors, Conference Commissioners, and Head Baseball Coaches. But just like this document it had personal contact information that I was/am reluctant to publish. I’m not sure the world needed to know that info.
I thought I removed all of the personal info, but I guess I missed some.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
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I hope this gets approved and the NCAA bans composites permanently. As an avid slowpitch softball player, I hope that the softball associations follow suit as well. These bats have ruined slowpitch softball and they are now ruining fastpitch and baseball from college all the way down to little league. The whole concept of a bat getting hotter over time after it is manufactured to meet a certain standard is ridiculous. Add in the fact that composite bats can be easily altered by rolling or shaving them and now the playing field has been tilted drastically in favor of those willing to cheat. Not to mention that fielders are in danger of being seriously hurt or even killed (it has happened numerous times in slowpitch already). It’s time to level the playing field, put the game back in the hands of the players, and ban composite bats for good!
What about bats with composite handles and alloy barrels?