Emergency bat needed and I have no clue!

[Pizmaster]

My daughter was just invited to play in a 16U tourney next weekend. Last night at practice her bat cracked - it was a 31/21. It was an older bat and she is due for a new one anyway. My problem is trying to figure out what to get her.

She is 14 years, 5'3" and 108 pounds. She is not that strong of a hitter and the old bat may be part of the problem. According to a website calculator, they recommend a 32" bat with a weight of 20 to 24 ounces.

Since I am in a financial struggle, I decided to check out eBay for a bat. I also checked a bat review website called justbats. With the info in hand, there is a bat called by Worth which is $79.00 and got very good reviews.

However, I am clueless as to what size she needs as they all have the weight and -13 afterwards. I do not know what that means. After some quick reading, it appears that you take the length and minus the number (13 in this case) and that gets you the weight?

Here is a link to the bats I am looking at.

FPSTM2 | eBay

Hopefully someone here has an opinion or can offer some suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[PA SB Dad]

You are correct, the -13 means [length minus (that number) = weight in oz]. At 14, I would think a -13 bat will be much too light for her. She should be able to swing a heavier bat without any problems. A 32in (-10) or (-9) is probably about right. The only way to really know is to take her to a sporting goods dealer or pro shop at a batting cage and let her swing some bats of different lengths and weights. Some cages will have demo bats she can hit in a cage with.

Other than eBay, there are a number of other websites that have good deals on closeout fastpitch bats and demos. Try looking here: Fast Pitch Softball Bats -- Closeouts -. Also, if you have a Play It Again Sports near you, that is also a good place to go.

 

[quincy]

We have a Player on our Team that is much smaller than your DD that swings the 34’ version of this bat. She does hit it well but I am not a big fan of the bat. The bat makes a “funny” ping when you hit the ball, assuming because the barrel was been thinned out so much to achieve the -13 drop. No facts to back it up but I would also think that the -13 drop will limit the life span of the bat.

Your DD should probably be swinging a -10 or greater, like her last bat.

All the manufacturers’ bats feel a little different, you would think all the 30’ 20 ounce bats would feel the same but they do not.

If possible remove the time constraint by either using another player’s bat, borrowing a bat or getting a demo bat for the weekend.

Especially if money is a consideration you want to purchase a bat your DD is comfortable with and will be able to use for a little while. There are a few very nice bats in your price range, especially if you have a little time to purchase it.

 

[softballphreak]

How important is it to her to do well in the tournament? If it's very important don't buy a cheap bat. If you can somehow manage to scrape up the money I suggest a TPS Xeno 32" 22 oz. Some on here know places to find it for far less than advertised.

If you must go inexpensive at the very least get a composite material bat. Not metal, in other words.

If she loves the game the investment in the Xeno is worth it. A year from now you'll not even think about the money but the bat will still be bringing joy to your kid.

 

[Lozza]

pizmaster please ignore what softballphreak said. Don't spend all your money on a softball bat for a child if you are struggling financially. There are more important things than softball.

It looks like a fine bat to me. I've ordered bats from eBay before and never had a problem. If you can see if you can find a local shop with that bat and take your daughter to swing it.

 

[Michael N]

I would stick with the same weight bat as she currently swings . You can pick up a decent aluminum bat for not a lot of money and she will be fine . Another thought would be to have her call her friends and see if they have a "Loaner" bat that will work through the tourney and then you can spend some time finding her just the right bat when no pressure is on to find one .

If thats not possible an inexpensive bat that is fairly well respected is the TPS Mendoza . It is a composite bat that is a -11 and you can find them for about 60 bucks online . They are durable and have been rated one of the best inexpensive bats out there . She could use it the rest of this season and then if you can afford a nicer bat she can stick it in her bag for cold weather games . Here is an old model on Amazon for 59.95 brand new ..... Amazon.com: Louisville FP86M Mendoza (-11) Fastpitch Softball Bat 31 20oz ": Sports & Outdoors

 

[NJSOFTBALL]

Pizmaster check out this bat my daughter uses it has great pop Easton SV12 - SSV1B Fastpitch Softball Bat -11.5oz
On Sale: $69.95 You Save: $130.00 they have 32/20.5. The website is Closeoutbats.com

 

[Pizmaster]

Thanks for the quick replies and great advice. Times are a little tough right now for me. I have put aside some money for a new bat for her but the most I can spend is about $125.00 maybe $150.00 tops.

The advice is great and I now understand that a 32 (-10) sounds like the way to go. I am in central/eastern Pa and I just did a search and found that a Play It Again Sports is less than 20 minutes from me! Looks like my budget can get me a little more of a bat there!

She borrowed a "team bat" yesterday that was the same as her old bat 31/21 but a better brand and she seemed to get a little more pop in her hits.

I wish I could afford one of the $300 bats! I had no idea these things cost that much - yikes. I do have a younger daughter (10) that started playing last year and she is doing quite well - so the bat will be available to her as well down the line.

Thanks for all the help!

P.S. I am new to the board here and will be checking it out all the time. I can use all the pointers as my daughters just love the game and I absolutely love watching them play!

 

[Craig]

If money is an object, I recommend the TPS Mendoza as well. For you DD's size, I'd go with a 32" bat.

Also, don't rule out getting a used bat if it's in good shape. I picked up an almost new CF4 Black for DD on eBay for $140 that she used for two seasons and it has been a great bat for her.

 

[Michael N]

The Play It Again Sports here locally carries the TPS Mendoza but yours may not . I think our local store has the new ones for 20 or 25% off which makes them about 70 bucks before tax . My DD is about the same size as yours and liked the 31/20 better than the 32/21 but every girl is different . Good Luck !!