Check swing: Composite bats’ place in baseball is getting a closer look

The NCAA has put the brakes on composite bats.

The Playing Rules Oversight Panel last week affirmed a decision made in July to put an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the use of the often-tampered piece of hardware.

It will keep examining the issue to see if the moratorium can be lifted.

But high schools and youth leagues, where composite bats also are prevalent, aren't ready to take such decisive action.

The National Federation of State High School Associations says it doesn't intend to ban composite bats. Tom O'Connor, a division director of the East Zone in the PONY League, predicts that USA Baseball, which governs youth leagues in America, will follow the NCAA's lead. But no one knows if that will happen any time soon.

Nonetheless, many coaches are ready to give composite bats the boot.

"If we're going to have standards, we need to abide by them," University of Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "I think they should be illegal."

VCU coach Paul Keyes agrees. Said Keyes, "I think any time you manipulate equipment, like throwing a spitball, you're gaining an edge."

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A composite bat looks like an aluminum bat on the outside. But it is made of graphite woven together in a precise pattern. While aluminum bats perform best the day they are purchased, composite bats perform better the longer they are used. Players soon found out they could accelerate the process of breaking in a bat by "rolling" it.

"Rolled" bats can be done professionally for about $30. The bat is put under intense pressure between two wheels and rolled back and forth. Other common methods include running over it with a car or hitting it against a light pole up to a thousand times.

The result is an improved trampoline effect on the bat -- the ball comes off the bat as much as 20 mph faster. And that means better offensive numbers. During 2007-2009, offensive statistics averaged from the entire NCAA went up in multiple categories. Batting average improved from .291 to .302. The average runs scored in a game went from 6.1 to 6.88. Earned run averages ballooned from 5.12 to 5.85.

Coaches say that the ball has a different look coming off the bat and that the hit makes a much different sound than the normal "ping" of aluminum.

"If I was coaching a high school team, everyone would be swinging a composite bat," said Chuck Bowen, baseball manager at Disco Sports. "You do get a competitive edge with a composite bat."

Before the College World Series, 25 composite bats were selected for testing. Of the 25 bats tested, 20 did not meet NCAA standards, meaning they had been broken in either intentionally or through repeated use.

All the bats belonging to Virginia were approved. U.Va., which has a contract with Rawlings, almost exclusively uses aluminum bats.

Not only is the speed of the ball coming off the bat threatening the integrity of the game, it's threatening the pitcher's life. With the ball traveling well over 100 mph, many coaches believe that a pitcher doesn't have enough time to react if the ball is hit straight at him.

"Everyone is fearing the day in college or high school baseball that something bad happens because the bats are too dangerous," Benedictine coach Sean Ryan said. "It's one of the things I worry about the most."

While an immediate ban on composite bats at all levels -- NCAA, high school and youth -- may seem appropriate, either for safety or fairness reasons, a ban would have enormous ramifications.

Disco Sports already has its bats in stock for 2010. Manufacturers already have made the bats they plan to sell in 2011. Disco Sports has sold between 150-200 composite bats this year. At $400 a bat, if all that merchandise can't be sold, a substantial amount of money will be lost, probably on the manufacturer's end.

If Easton or DeMarini is stuck with composite bats they can't sell, they could choose to sue the NCAA or the NFHS because the bats were previously approved.

The fact that the NCAA is banning them despite these issues shows just how serious they believe composite bats threaten the game.

"They need to ban them, they just can't do it now," Bowen said. He believes a ban needs to be grandfathered in, so parents who just bought a new bat won't have to buy a new one, and the bats that haven't been sold won't go to waste.

Tom O'Connor disagrees. He thinks a grandfather scenario isn't likely for youth baseball. "My personal opinion is that safety is far more important than sales and marketing," he said. "Subsequently, the ban on composite bats [for youth leagues] would be immediate."

If high school is the only level left allowing composite bats in 2010, Bowen says there could be a run on composite bats.

If high schools don't ban the bat, "I guarantee I will see a spike in my business," Bowen said. By banning the bat, the NCAA is acknowledging its superiority. And now every high schooler who can get his hands on one will want it.

"If it were all about safety, everyone would use wood," Ryan said, because the ball doesn't come off the bat as fast.

But bat manufacturers have a large stake in the continued use of aluminum and composite bats. Besides stock already produced, they want their bats used by the best teams in the world so they can be seen on TV and craved by every young player who plays a recreational game.

And when it comes to winning championships, hitting home runs, getting looks from professional scouts and becoming the next big thing in amateur baseball, right now, composite bats are just one of the necessary tools.

"Everyone wants to hit the ball farther," said Darryn Vinson, the owner of Batter's Choice in Petersburg. "Composite and aluminum bats are going to hit the ball farther."

Contact Eric Kolenich at (804) 649-6109 or .