North Dakota Preps

I totally agree with you exwestcoach not everybody will be able to hit a 70-80 mph fastball and when they do with how players really wont know how to hit with a wood bad shcools will go through hundreds of dollars on wood bats alone.

Yeah I believe it's a stupid idea, ok so a pitcher takes a linedrive to the forehead from a metal bat and gets knocked unconscious, so what difference does it make if that happens or he gets a piece of a broken wood bat to his face? The safety issue really can't force us to use wooden bats IMO. I think metal bats really make the game exciting, who wants to watch blooping singles into the outfield when we can watch a linedrive in the gap? But I do believe when it comes to college level when kids are stronger and more talented, wood bats might be a good idea, it's just a stupid idea for High School level of play.

a blooping single with wood bats will never be a double to the gap with aluminum, if you wanna watch runs scored watch softball.  If you believe aluminum is good for the high school game, hop into the steriod belt of major league baseball, same thing....

we might as well start to use steroids than to get the ball out of the infield

I don't know how you can compare metal bats to steroids, you're missing the point, I didn't say exactly that a blooping single with wood would be the same as a line drive in the gap, it was a figure of speach. High Schools have been using metal bats since as long as metal has been available, why switch now? It's just stupid.

I think in many ways the money part might be the worst of it. I'm sure a lot of teams will use composite bats, which obviously wont break as easily as wood. But a lot of the small class B schools will use up a lot of dollars breaking wood bats. Coaches are going to have to spend an extra practice or more just teaching kids how to hit with wood.

ndsioux wrote:Coaches are going to have to spend an extra practice or more just teaching kids how to hit with wood.

what a shame....am i the only one that finds that statement sad?

to quote Allen Iverson "we're talking about practice, practice"

I'd say I somewhat agree with ndsioux, there is a strategy to hitting with would that has to be tought, and extra practice with this will be needed, period.

Of course it will take extra practice to get used to hitting with wood bats, THATS A GOOD THING!!!!!!! 

Cutting corners to make things easier will not make YOUNG GENTLEMENT BETTER PEOPLE in the long run, which is what hs sports are for.  High school sports are not meant for entertainment of adults, being entertained by a game is a bonus. 

if extra practice is good why dont coaches shortin conditioning kids are going to have jobs and other priorties and i still feel that sur if you are a spectator great but the players are the ones on the feild hitting and maybe you are down by 1 in the bottem of 7th with your power up and the bases loaded now with metal bats a jamed fister is the g w texas leaguer to right but with wood bats its a broken bat right to the 2ed baseman directly under it not to mention the pitcher who just got the win didnt see the broken bat and it hit him in the face now hes hurt and your team just lost with bases loaded and the heart of the lineup up

I think if a kid gets jammed with an aluminum bat he deserves to get out. If the pitcher makes a good pitch like that he should get the kid out. Metal bats are used as a crutch for way too many players.

2 SPORT THREAT wrote:... pitcher who just got the win didnt see the broken bat and it hit him in the face now hes hurt and your team just lost with bases loaded and the heart of the lineup up

I am just trying to play devils advocate here, because I am not all that much in favor of the wood bats either, but honestly, how many major leaguers (or minor leaguers for that matter) get hit with a wood bat shard? They use them every day and it is a VERY RARE occurace. I was a senior last year and I remember at Regionals when it was snowing and the likelihood is about the same that a metal bat shatters and hits the pitcher. I just do not think that the wood bat breaking and hitting the pitcher is a very valid point, but just trying to be the devils advocate.

 

Now for why I do not like the wood bats. Yes, it will bring down the power and things and make the game more natural, but my problem with it lies in the younger levels. Those kids that aren't strong enough to hit effectively with wood (especially those on the JV levels) are going to be the most effected. They grow up with metal and are used to the numbers they put up with metal. Now you throw a wood bat in their hands and their average drops, they don't get hits and they WILL get frustrated. I think that this could lead to a lot of average players to leave the game because they are frustrated with failure. However, give this 5-10 years and the wood bats will be a very effective strategy when kids are used to it, but for the short term, this could be a struggle.

the reason that pros arnt hitting and breaking the bat up the middle is because pro players have been using wood for a long time so they are more apt to battle off a good pitch with the barrel of the bat and not the handel hence less broken bats

but throw these bats into the hands of15-18 year olds and the out come will be very much different the bats will break the schools will lose money kids will not return due to frustration i just see only downsides with the wood bats

well you can be sure that pitchers love the wood bats. then they can make good pitches without them going into the gap. as far as fighting off a pitch with the barrel is concerned, not even pros "fight off" a pitch with the barrel. pros break their bats too

another reason that these wood bats are going to screw us over so bad is that YES LADIES AND GENTALMEN WE LIVE IN NORTH DAKOTA we only get baseball for 7? months while we have kids in cali and florida playing all year round with aluminum no please tell me how we are supposed to compete with them they will now not only have 5 months on us but also the ability (or should i say privlage thanks to the ndhsaa) to use aluminum.

"NDHSAA IF ITS NOT BROKEN HEY WE CAN FIX IT ANYWAY" THANK YOU AGAIN

Who initiated the change from metal bats to wood bats for high school baseball, the coaches or the NDHSAA?  I know that I've heard the coaches voted on it and approved the change but who was behind bringing the proposal to the table for a vote? (I would like to know fact not theory)

KPuck34 wrote:Who initiated the change from metal bats to wood bats for high school baseball, the coaches or the NDHSAA?  I know that I've heard the coaches voted on it and approved the change but who was behind bringing the proposal to the table for a vote? (I would like to know fact not theory)

In order to find the origins of the new wood bat rule (in effect spring 2007), I emailed a member of the NDHSAA. He told me that  the coaches of North Dakota brought about a proposal to the NDHSAA board about the use of wood bats. The board had no part in the actual writing of the proposal as it was the COACHES who invisioned this rule. The board then looked over the proposal and decided to have the coaches vote on the issue, and it passed.

Thanks for the info Honus355.  I know that the NDHSAA may do some things that we don't all agree with but let's stop bashing them for bringing about this issue. 

It could be worse, the regular season could be played with wood bats and then all of the post season could be played with metal bats. )Isn't that what happened last year in the DAC-10?)

one other thing about wood bats is the balls don't come off as hot... many ppl actually think it is easier to field but not in ALL cases. for instance a soft hit ball to third base where the throw barely beats the runner. with wood bats the ball would get there a little slower so the runner has more time. a switch to wood bats doesn't only effect the hitters but also the fielders. there is all this talk about having to have an extra practice to learn how to hit wood bats which could be true but the kids have to get stronger to make up for the time. thats just my opinion

Here is an interesting article I found in the Bismarck Tribune:

Wood bats make welcome return

Steve Thomas, Bismarck Tribune, Monday April 17, 2006

A return to wood bats awaits high school baseball in 2007.

On the basis of the metal-free baseball I’ve watched this spring, the change can only be positive.

I’ve seen the University of Mary play 35 innings this season against Dakota State and Dickinson State, enough action to form a few clear impressions.

First, a return to wood isn’t going to mean an endless stream of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 games. The average score of the games I’ve covered has been 7-4.

Second, wood bats don’t dictate the extinction of home runs. Dakota State’s two games with U-Mary were played with batters swinging into the teeth of winds in the 20-30 mph range. Naturally, no home runs. On Saturday, there were two round-trippers in two games at Municipal Ballpark. Anyone who’s watched baseball at the Bismarck park knows any four-baggers there are merited. Dickinson shortstop Adam Hurlbert nailed one that traveled a minimum of 380 feet.

Third, finesse pitchers with limited fastballs but unlimited control fare better against wood bats. When a pitcher beats a hitter with smart mound work, he’s likely to be rewarded with a groundball or popup for his effort. Too often a batter swinging a metal bat is able to fend off a good pitch and muscle a handle hit over the infield. Dakota State’s Jason Ciz and U-Mary’s Xavier Pizarro and Jeremy Seuss have pitched brilliantly while averaging a modest 2.4 strikeouts per seven innings.

Fourth, with more groundballs, double plays are back – 15 in 68 defensive innings.

Fifth, coaches aren’t going to lose sleep figuring out how to pay for all the broken bats. Today’s wood bat is not the same critter you used in Legion ball 30 or 40 years ago. Yes, I’ve seen a few broken bats this spring, one where the business end went halfway to third base. Consider, however, how many broken wood bats it takes to match the cost of metal bats that run anywhere from $100 to $375. Plus, a broken bat is usually the result of good pitching. Let the guy on the mound have his reward.

Sixth, pitchers are more aggressive when they don’t have to face hyperbats. The upshot is faster moving games. My game times: 1:57 (nine innings), 1:33 (seven innings), 3:46 (12 innings), and 1:52 (seven innings. That comes out to 15:40 per inning or about 1:50 for a seven-inning game.

Seventh, the danger factor is reduced. In the games I’ve covered, pitchers have either been zinged or deflected come-backers on about a half-dozen occasions. I don’t even want to think what some of those balls would have looked like after contact with metal.

I was talking to a slow-pitch player this spring who mused out loud that it might be smart for corner infielders to think about wearing protective masks. It’s no longer a novelty to see a slowpitch pitcher wearing headgear. That alone should send a clear signal that the game has been warped out of shape.

Positive though the shift to wood bats in baseball may be, it would be even more beneficial in slowpitch softball. A revival of wood bats would reduce the need for such artificial devices as home run caps to keep the offense under control.

Metal ball-launchers appeal to the vanity of hitters. In return, players are willing to shell out beaucoup bucks to have their egos stroked. That ought not be. Middle infielders who weigh 130 pounds aren’t intended to be home run threats.

Does anyone remember that quaint old phrase "table-setter?"

(Steve Thomas is a Tribune sportswriter).

Another article on wood bats.

[font=arial]Wood bat, metal bat mean different games[/font]

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http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2006/04/19/news/sports/local/113450.txt
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I have a question when is all of softball going to go to wood bats because the ball comes off the bat just as hard and there are still pitchers getting hit hard by the ball so why dont we make softball use wood bats.

Did anyone see or in play in the East-West Classic  this spring where wood bats were used in some of the games?  If I recall correctly, most of the players did well, and plenty of runs were scored.  Bad pitching will still get exposed. 

Great comprehensive article from Steve Thomas!  It was refreshing  to read a post from someone well informed, rather than from people exaggerating the impact wood bats will have on the game. 

Willy wrote:Did anyone see or in play in the East-West Classic  this spring where wood bats were used in some of the games?  If I recall correctly, most of the players did well, and plenty of runs were scored.  Bad pitching will still get exposed.

I played in the East/West Legion Baseball tournament where in Mandan all the teams used wood. There were games that were low scoring but there were also games that runs were scored in abundance. The tournament did not have any blowouts but most of the games were close.

class a...stop complaining......wood bats will be fun and if you are any good you will find ways to use the wood bat to your advantage via: more bunting, soft grounders, and with less home runs leaving the park i would expect to see less kids pulling their heads and trying to go yard and more kids keeping their head down focused on the ball and having good base hits.