Tag Archives: Coach Pitch

Miken Doesn’t Play the Game… They Dominate It!

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Miken is back in the baseball world and better than ever. This week we saw the release of the brand new RZR line. The RZR is available in BBCOR, Senior League 10, Youth -12, and Junior Big Barrel -10. When the research and development department at Miken sat down to design this year’s line they really took player input into consideration. In past years players were calling for more pop and big barrels. Well, due to rule changes in just about every league, player’s requests have changed. Now we hear requests for better balance and more bat speed. This is exactly what Miken had in mind with the new RZR line.

The RZR features the T3000 alloy. Outside of the one engineer that might read this blog, no one knows what that means. The T3000 alloy is one of the strongest in the industry. Due to the strength of this alloy Miken was able to create a bat with thinner walls and a bigger sweet spot to enhance consistent performance. With thinner walls in the barrel they were also able to create balanced weight distribution to maximize swing speed. Players asked for balance and speed and that is exactly what they will get with the new RZR line.

After swinging the RZR Adult (ABRZR3) I was very impressed. Most of the first generation BBCOR bats had a tendency to be very end-loaded. That is not the case with the ABRZR3. You can really feel the thinner walls effect on the balance. This bat swings like BESR bats of the past. After about ten hits I was really starting to square the ball up. Miken has always had great grips on their bats, but the new Extreme X-Tack grip really feels great in your hands. It almost felt like the bat had pine tar on it.  The thin walls in the barrel were very responsive. You can tell they spent the extra time and money to make this bat perform at a peak level. When you consider it is priced at $199.99, and comes with some state of the art graphics, I would feel confident putting the RZR up against the XL3/S3, CAT5, and 5150.  Miken took their time on the release of this bat and I personally was very, very, impressed.

Rawlings 5150 Alloy Coach Pitch Bat

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The new 5150 Alloy bat from Rawlings is an all around great bat, featuring increased flex and high strength. This bat is extremely durable and has amazing balance which will help players achieve maximum swing speed and improve their bat control. And let’s not forgot the awesome technology from Rawlings this year, the Sci-Fly technology. Using Doppler Radar to track ball flight characteristics, you know your bat is in good hands and scientifically tested to achieve maximum performance. Stop by JustBats.com to pick up the all new Rawlings 5150 Alloy Coach Pitch Bat.

New USSSA Baseball Bat Marks & Grandfathering Rules

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New USSSA Baseball Bat Marks & Grandfathering Rules
Effective January 1, 2012

Big Barrel Bat Rules (2 5/8″ or 2 3/4″) – 14U & Below
Effective January 1, 2012

  • Have the new USSSA Mark on its taper OR
  • Be a Qualified BBCOR bat OR
  • Be a Wood Bat

ALL of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee
This applies to ALL Big Barrel Bats, including Coach Pitch bats.

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Big Barrel Bat Rules (2 5/8″ or 2 3/4″) – 15U & Above

  • Must be NHSF approved with the appropriate BBCOR certification mark OR
  • Be a Wood Bat

Both of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee

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Small Barrel Baseball Bat Rules (2 1/4″ or less)
For 2012 and 2013

  • Have the new USSSA Mark on its taper OR
  • Have the old USSSA mark OR
  • Be a Wood Bat

ALL of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee
This applies to tee ball bats longer than 23″.

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For 2014

  • Have the new USSSA Mark on its taper OR
  • Be a Wood Bat

Both of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee

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Qualified BBCOR bat – A Big Barrel bat that is made by a USSSA approved bat licensee, has a BBCOR mark permanently attached to the bat that is recognized by NHSF as a legal bat for NHSF sanctioned play and has no more than a minus 3 ounces difference from the length of the bat. Minimum bat length is 29 inches.

 

New USSSA Softball Bat Marks & Grandfathering Rules
Effective January 1, 2012


Effective January 1, 2012

  • Have the new USSSA Mark on its taper OR
  • Have the old USSSA mark OR
  • Be a Wood Bat

ALL of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee

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Effective January 1, 2013

  • Have the new USSSA Mark on its taper OR
  • Be a Wood Bat

ALL of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee

 

Marucci Cat 5 Junior Big Barrel

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They are here! Moms and Dads get your wallet ready the new Marruci Cat 5 Junior Big Barrel has arrived!  Don’t worry, it’s not going to break the bank with it’s reasonable price. And there is NOTHING Junior about this bat.  Your little guy will be able to smack them just like the big kids with the Cat 5 bat.  Even with the monster barrel it is still lightweight, balanced, and great for kids starting out in coach pitch. This bat can compete with all the composite Junior Big Barrel’s out there with it’s high performing alloy.

Kids can’t wait to get their hands on this one.  No vibration and it has one of the biggest sweet spots and “pop” your ears can handle.  My nephews are pounding down my door to get the new Cat 5. Hope it’s not too hot to handle!

Coach Pitch vs. Senior League – There’s a new option available!

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Over the last few years baseball was introduced to a new category of bats that took leagues around the nation by storm.  These new “Coach Pitch” bats featured monster barrels and weight to length ratios that had only been seen on Tee Ball bats.  The thought of using a 2 ¾” bat with a -11.5 drop was very enticing and many customers took advantage of the new product offering.

A couple years after seeing players crush doubles in to the gap and watching tape measure homeruns fly over the fence, leagues began to take notice. People everywhere knew these bats were intended for younger kids, but it was the 10 and 11 year old player that was swinging these bats. It didn’t take long for league commissioners to make changes to their rules to prohibit the use of Coach Pitch bats in Senior League play.

All the bat manufacturers knew there was still a market for a light bat with a big barrel, so they found a loop hole in the rules. Leagues everywhere had stated that “Coach Pitch” bats were to only be used in coach pitch leagues. What the leagues didn’t reference was a restriction put on the weight to length ratio. With a couple quick changes, manufacturers everywhere started creating Junior Big Barrel bats, which were Coach Pitch bats with a new name. With the new naming convention these bats were now legal in Senior League play.

While the legality issue had been trumped by the manufacturers there was still a durability issue with coach pitch bats.  They are intended for use by younger players, but the advantages these bats featured made them perfect for a kid pitch player looking for an edge. As many of you who swing these bats have experienced, Coach Pitch bats just don’t hold up to live pitching. Having beat the new league restrictions, and realizing a strong desire in the market for these bats, manufacturers were left scratching their heads on what to do.

Leave it to the most storied bat manufacturer in the industry to solve this problem. Louisville Slugger took the desire for a light bat with a monster barrel, and customer feedback about durability in to consideration when they rolled out the Triton II and Catalyst.

The Triton II is a full composite bat that features a 2 5/8” barrel and a -12 length to weight ratio and made it durable enough to stand up to live pitching. This alone sounded too good to be true, but then they took it a step further and made this bat available in lengths 28” to 32”. A 32” 20 ounce bat is unheard of in our industry. Not to mention it features all the new USSSA 1.15 BPF requirements and is designed to hit live pitching. They were able to do all this and release the bat at a very reasonable $249.99.

The Catalyst is very similar to the Triton II. The Catalyst features the same barrel diameter and BPF rating, but comes in at a slightly heavier -11 length to weight ratio. It is also available in 28”-32”. The Catalyst retails at $199.99 and offers a more affordable option for customers looking for this one of a kind bat.

While it has been a crazy, winding road that brought us to this point we are very happy to be able to offer customers a bat that meets all their needs. With these two new options from Louisville Slugger players around the world can go to the plate with the LIGHTEST big barrel bat on the market designed to hold up at all levels of play. Your voice has been heard big barrel fans, and there is a new player in town.  Check out the new Triton II and Catalyst at JustBats.com!

Be easy!