Guide to 2010 Composite Softball Bats

First there was wood, the natural fiber that traditionalists still love, and which is the only material usable in America’s favorite pastime, Major League Baseball.  Then came aluminum, offering a harder, more durable bat all the way around.  A denser, highly energetic hitting surface was provided at much lighter weight.

The new State of the Art is composite, which introduces dual wall technology.  The outer wall is aluminum, the inner wall is woven carbon or graphite, and the proven end result is better power, better control, a better average, and more extra base hits.  It’s all good out of the batter’s box when a composite stick is in hand!  Composite bats are confidence builders, because they offer both increased power and better control.  The 2010 season will witness the introduction of some of the most dynamic composite fastpitch softball bats ever made.  If you want to stride to the plate packing one of them, consider these models, from the top names in the game!

Top Composite Softball Bats

Worth 2010 Mayhem Composite -12 Fastpitch Bat!

100% Composite, 100% power, control, and durability.  Pick it up, and you probably won’t put it down!

DeMarini 2010 CF4 Black -10 Fastpitch Softball Bat!

The horizontal and vertical weave produces the perfect synergy of flex and power through the enlarged barrel.

Easton 2010 Synergy Speed -10 Fastpitch Bat!

This hitting tool reduces weight and delivers a high-density hitting surface.  The hitter enjoys greater bat speed, greater power, and greater ability to place the ball anywhere between the lines.

Louisville 2010 TPS Catalyst -10 Fastpitch Softball Bat!

Perfect balance for optimal power at contact, including a synthetic grip for comfort and control.

Miken 2010 Rain 100 Comp -9/-10 Fastpitch Softball Bat!

If you haven’t been introduced to R900 Carbon Fiber, it might be time to makes its acquaintance.  This revolutionary material stores energy in your swing, and releases it at contact, energizing every hit for maximum ball speed and distance.

Softball Bat Terminology - Understanding What it All Means!

Serious athletes of all ability levels appreciate the reality that today’s athletic equipment sports an amazing level of technological and design sophistication that means the perfect piece of gear can be found for every pursuit. If fastpitch softball is your game, and it is the preferred choice of millions, then you love today’s awesome line-up of clubs, boppers, tools, lumber – that is, softball bats. With that terminology on our tongues, let’s take a look at the terms used to describe and evaluate the hitting sticks offered by today’s leading manufacturers like Easton, Mizuno, Rawlings, Miken, and DeMarini.

Softball Bat Length, Weight and Materials

Let’s start with the obvious terms regarding dimensions. A fastpitch softball bat is measured in terms of length and weight. Back in the day, the wood bat you used in little league probably had a one to one ratio of length to weight – a 30 inch bat usually weighed about 30 ounces. Today’s advanced materials that include not only aluminum but composites like aramid (brand name Kevlar), that are very light relative to weight. Today, a typical 32 inch softball bat will weigh about 22 ounces, producing a -10 ratio, meaning it’s 10 less ounces than it is inches. Such ratios produce greater bat speed, the major component of power. Common lengths range from 31 to 34 inches, while weights extend from 20 to 27 ounces. The grips of today’s best fastpitch softball bats or made either of rubber for cushioned comfort, or of high-density, high-stick composite for better feel.

The Sweet Spot

Now, moving to the specifics of bat performance, the first term to know is “sweet spot.” Golfers understand that this is the area of the club that will produce the optimum results of contact. A large sweet spot in a fastpitch softball bat means that even slightly miss-hit swings will still produce plenty of pop. Larger barrels will generally have a larger sweet spot.

The next term is “line drive,” which we all know means a rope coming off the bat. The line drive measurement is really a reflection of the first term, sweet spot. The larger the sweet spot, the higher the percentage of struck balls will be line drives. The term “distance” is self-explanatory. Good design and superior materials mean that the same hitter will get more distance out of some bats than others. The terms “feel” or “sting” are interchangeable, and reflect the level of vibration transmitted through the bat to the hands upon contact. The more the hit is displaced throughout the bat, the less sting, or the better the feel. Good bats will let you know whether you made good contact without making you pay for it with sore hands. Feel is often enhanced with specialized grips or a narrower than usual handle that allows more palm and finger to bat contact.

Softball Bat Strength

The “strength” of a fastpitch softball bat usually refers to the thickness of the bat wall. Lighter materials can be thicker, without adding weight which reduces bat speed, and thicker walls typically deliver more power, which any hitter welcomes. Finally, “durability” or “toughness” applies to the longevity one can expect from a bat. Better materials will last longer without cracking, warping, or breaking. When shopping for your next piece of lumber, it is helpful to understand the terminology the reviews and product descriptions are employing, even if it’s not made of wood.

For 2010, softball bat manufacturers like Mizuno, Easton, Miken, Louisville Slugger, and others have delivered new models of hitting sticks that put the next generation of power and control into the hands of players everywhere.

New innovations in construction give hitters greater options, so finding the bat with the right feel, the right weight to length ratio, and the right barrel dimensions has never been easier. If you’re looking for a narrow, ultra-light bat made for placing the ball exactly where you want it, choices abound. If where you want to place that high compression ball is 15 rows deep, more robust bats are available for 2010 at weights that will allow you to generate excellent bat speed. As you prepare to put up great numbers this season, here are 10 of the best new bats on the market for you to consider carrying to the plate in 2010.

Top 10 Softball Bats for 2010

1. Demarini CF4 Fastpitch Softball Bat
2. Easton SRV4B Synergy Speed Fastpitch Softball Bat
3. Louisville Slugger FPXM 2010 Mendoza Composite Fastpitch Softball Bat
4. Miken Epic MFEHT Fastpitch Softball Bat
5. Mizuno 2010 Frenzy 2 -10 Fastpitch Softball Bat
6. Easton CV12 SCR1B Fastpitch Softball Bat
7. Miken MV-1 Balanced Slowpitch Softball Bat
8. Louisville Slugger Triton FPXT8 Composite Fastpitch Softball Bat
9. Easton Stealth Speed-10 Fastpitch Softball Bat
10. Mizuno 2010 Frenzy Fastpitch Softball Bat

Do You Have a Favorite Bat in 2010?

Share it below in the comment section! We love hearing from our readers.

The leading manufacturers of softball bats have truly created a line-up of quality clubs featuring “just right” specs for everyone on the team. If you like to go for the fences, bats with big barrels and fantastic weight to length ratios are available, some featuring a -7 to -10 ratio, meaning they pack up to 10 fewer ounces in weight than they do inches from grip to tip. A typical -10 ratio bat might be 33 inches long and weigh 23 ounces. The results are good bats speeds and lots of hitting surface, up to 2.5 inches in width.

Those who like to hit for average, and want as much control as possible will enjoy lighter sticks with smaller widths, perhaps in the 2.25 inch ball park. The ratios on these sticks can be as low as -12, for ultra-light weight, still containing enough strength to knock the ball around pretty well. The light weight and low ratio makes placing each hit much easier, whether you want to punch the ball through the infield or drive the gap in left center.

Choosing the Right Bat for Your Body and Swing!

The key to finding the right bat is to know your capabilities. A smaller hitter who insists they can hit the long ball may choose a heavier bat to prove their gusto, only to find themselves hitting a lot of meaningless, mid-depth fly balls. It’s better to go with the stature you have, choose a bat to match, and make the most of it. Get on base with a deftly placed single, and let the big gal or guy behind you drive you in. Single/double/place hitters might also want to select a bat with a thinner handle, to increase feel and produce greater control.

On the other end of the spectrum, big swingers that take a bat to the plate that is too light may well end up over swinging, being out in front of many pitches – like trying to hit a perpetual change-up—and in many not-so-extreme cases end up hurting their wrists and forearms trying to slow down or adjust their swings. Long-ballers should pick up a wide-barreled bat with a -5 to -8 ratio, which are still capable of serious bat speeds, and employ consistent and powerful strokes that will let the bat do as much of the work as possible.

Because even today’s heaviest bats are lighter than their slugging forerunners, most players will be able to get around with most bats. Novice players should start out light, and progress toward heavier, making sure that they can catch up to the ball with the bat they are using, and still maintain good hand-eye coordination. With practice, each player will find the right blend of weight and length to hit for the highest combination of average and power they are capable of.

Different Types of Softball Bats - How do You Choose?

Back in the day you went up to the plate toting a piece of wood, or nothing else. Then along came aluminum softball bats that offered more durability and slightly less weight, with maybe a bit more pop for the ping. Things have changed. Today’s softball bats feature the best lightweight durability and strength that modern technology can produce.

Let’s first look at the most common materials used in today’s clubs. And let’s start with old-fashioned wood. It seems that retro is in everywhere we look today, from fashion to automobile design, and the softball diamond is no exception. Nostalgia and safety are the driving forces in the return to wood bats in open leagues and in wood-bat-only leagues that are beginning to crop up. Ash, hickory, birch and maple are the woods of choice, just as they’ve always been.

Composite bats are made from materials ranging from aramid (Kevlar) to high-density plastics. Great power at low speeds is being generated by composite softball bats. Each manufacturer seems to be searching for the perfect proprietary composite today, but all seem to produce about the same performance. The handle, the barrel, or the entire stick may be composite. Check the specs before you buy to know what you are getting.

Today’s aluminum bats are a lighter weight alloy than was once used. Surprisingly, today it is the more affordable bats that feature aluminum alloy, and they still deliver plenty of lightweight pop in every stroke. Players up to average or good ability will not be at any disadvantage using aluminum alloy versus the higher prices composite softball bats in vogue today.

Moving to types of bats, most are designed for game usage, but some specialty bats are being manufactured for practice, and are called “training bats.” Some of these have a flat side to help novice players make better contact, increasing encouragement while consistent practice increases hand-eye coordination. Other training bats have an especially large barrel, again, to maximize contact until the player can master the mechanics required to hit the ball consistently well. Shorter training bats have the player employ only one hand, something like you might have with a tennis racket, to help the player develop consistent hand-eye coordination and the repetitive muscle memory required to do any physical activity well. On the opposite end of it, “log” or “strength” bats have a positive weight to length ratio, meaning that they are much heavier, and serve the purpose of strengthening the hands, wrists, and forearms during practice swings in the cage or with live pitching.

These days, when you’re in the game, your choice of bat to take to the on-deck circle is greater than it used to be, assuring you of the right weight and length for your hitting style.