News story

Bat Blast: High-Tech Competition Pushing the Edge

March 1, 2001 – Senior Softball-USA

For more than a decade ˆ driven by super-heated competition ˆ softball bat manufacturers have produced a constant stream of new technologies and patents. They have created stronger, faster, lighter and more powerful bats ˆ and enough patents to fill a shuttle cargo bay.

It all started, according to independent bat experts, in Ray DeMarini's barn in Oregon with the concept of a double-wall bat.

"The double-wall bat was the biggest technological breakthrough," said Dr. Mark McDowell, a project scientist and principal investigator for the Microgravity Fluid Flight Project Branch at the NASA research center in Cleveland, Ohio.

"It was quite surprising that this no-name guy came in and basically took over the industry from the big four (bat manufacturers)," said McDowell, 35, who is a competitive softball player and president of B&N Softball, which tests bats and balls.

With DeMarini setting a blazing pace, the other bat manufacturers went into competitive high gear to improve performance ˆ until softball organizations clamped down with the 1.20 BPF (bat performance factor) limit.

Today many softball experts, who include almost everyone playing the game, openly wonder how bat manufacturers can continue to offer improvements in a product whose performance is strictly regulated at almost every level of play.

But they do. Now, bat manufacturers are focusing on new materials that improve durability without loss of performance.

So it should come as no surprise that softball bats for 2001 are based on at least 5 different technologies ˆ all of them either patented or patent-pending. And DeMarini is on the leading edge again.

DeMarini's B-52

Bat magician Ray DeMarini, now developing his designs as a division of Wilson Sports, has created a Fluid Technology and married it with his year-old FLI Technology in the new DeMarini B-52.

"The secret is the DeMarini Power Fluid," said Dave Pollock, business manager for baseball/softball for Wilson Sports. "Using this patented process, the two walls flow independent of each other."

This near-frictionless movement allows the walls to flex more easily, creating a much larger sweet spot, according to DeMarini engineers.

This fluid Technology is married with the FLI Technology, which consists of an aerospace carbon fiber material that's wrapped around the inner barrel of the bat, keeping the flexibility but adding durability, according to DeMarini engineers.

"The new carbon fiber technology is a great leap forward," said independent NASA researcher McDowell. "Aluminum can only give to a certain point (before denting or cracking)," he said. "Carbon fiber technology is the technology of the future for bats."

Suggested Retail Price: $299.

Worth's Dimension Technology

Worth is entering an entirely new dimension with its latest technology ˆ the 3DX bat.

"We use a graphite-woven sleeve that is pulled over the middle aluminum layer and the composite frame," said Jess Heald, Worth CEO. "It's three-dimensional."

Worth adds a few more scientific treats to the 3DX: The shell is cryogenically treated (frozen below 300-degrees to increase the strength of the bat upon impact) and the end of the bat has a Power Plug to eliminate vibration.

The end result of Worth's patent-pending Dimension Technology, according to Worth engineers, is 14% thinner walls, greater impact strength and a larger sweet spot.

Translation: The bat creates a better springboard effect over a larger area of the barrel, allowing batters to hit the ball further more often. Suggested Retail: $260-$280.

Easton's Tri-Shell

Easton emerged from the gate with it's patented Tri-Shell Technology for 2001, allowing it to develop the thinnest bat wall on the market.

"The aluminum inner tube of the bat barrel is wrapped with super-elastic rubber and the entire piece is press-fitted onto a Scandium aluminum outer shell containing the thinnest wall in softball ˆ 40/1000th of an inch," said Mike Zlacket, of Easton.

"This is not a 'me-too' bat," said Zlacket. "The design allows average players to get more out of the bat."

The rubber in the Tri-Shell allows for a better transference of energy to the ball. Translation: the rubber gives the thin wall durability and the combination creates a better trampoline effect, propelling the ball further while continuing to meet safety requirements.

The Tri-Shell retails for $199.

Louisville Slugger's XXL

Louisville Slugger combines two technologies in its XXL ˆ the C555 Alloy and a "gapless" doublewall construction that allows "tuning."

The C555 alloy developed by Louisville Slugger is 7 percent stronger than the old C405 Alloy, allowing the historic bat company to develop even thinner walls that will hold up to impact with the softball.

In addition, the bat manufacturer has removed the gap between the thin double walls, which allows synchronization between the bat and ball upon impact ˆ or tuning.

Translation: Tuning returns more energy to the ball upon impact, driving it further, and makes the walls more flexible and durable.

"The XXL has a solid feel and sound," said James Sass, of Louisville Slugger. "We have been getting very good ratings from our tests of the bat."

The XXL retails for $199.

Miken's Velocite

Using a patent-pending process, Mike has replaced the shell of its bat with a hybrid of new "e-glass" and carbon-fiber molding to create the Velocite.

The outside shell is cast in a press under intense pressure, then the material for the inside of the shell is cured in an oven and the two are pressed together, into one layer.

"Once you cast the composite, it will flex and it creates a huge trampoline effect ˆ unlike aluminum, which tends to be lazy and fade over time," said Pete Griffith, vice president of marketing for Miken.

The result is the most effective bat yet from Miken ˆ one that retains its durability in all weather, but has a much-improved performance. The Velocite sells for $340.

Metal-Wood Bat

A West Virginia company has developed a hybrid Metal Wood Bat designed for training, as well as high school and college play. "This would be a good bat for senior softball," said Ray Kuhl, a spokesman for Metal Wood Bats Inc., and a senior softball player for the 55+ Pack Lumber team. "The ball comes off this bat slower, it doesn't dent ˆ and you wouldn't have to worry about home run limits."

The Metal Wood Bat sells for $109. For more information, call (304) 586-3730.