length, size of bats in college

[collinspc]

My 10U daughter is 5'6" and 160ish using a 34 drop 10 and is up in the box at this level because her bat speed is way ahead of the pitches. I couldn't get her to wait on the pitches so we moved her up in the box and she is doing very well. I think as the pitching gets faster she may need to drop back to a 33, but she still hasn't reached her limit as far as strength or bat speed goes yet.

 

[iMlearning]

Any thoughts on plate coverage with a longer or shorter bat?
In the past I've heard not to choke up because it changes the sweet spot and balance of the bat, but these college girls don't seem to worry about that.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

My little girl uses a 34" -10:

WHAT the heck is that catcher doing with that throwing hand right there?!?!?
OMG!!

(Sorry - just noticed this....)

 

[rdbass]

WHAT the heck is that catcher doing with that throwing hand right there?!?!?

Waving Bye Bye!

 

[Eric F]

WHAT the heck is that catcher doing with that throwing hand right there?!?!?
OMG!!

(Sorry - just noticed this....)

That was the first thing I noticed. Yikes! The more I see stuff like this, the less I give credit for people who use "I played in college" as a credential.

 

[catchermom]

My DD uses a 34 drop 10. She used a 33 drop 10 for several years, but moved up to 34 last year. She is not exceptionally tall or big, 5'8" 145 pounds, but she has good bat speed and upper body strength. She works out daily and has been for last 3 years. I was concerned about going to 34, but her hitting coach said it was fine and he said he wished more girls would swing a 34. I think it just depends on the girl and how they adjust. The bat she uses is balanced and that could be the difference in using a 33 or 34. I admit, when I talked to some college coaches, they said they had only a couple girls using 34's.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Mine is 5.11 and uses a 34-25 LS. Coach wants her in a 36 but That's not gonna happen. Can't see her using a slow pitch bat where she is.

 

[Bouldersdad]

She has really always used a 34-9. Travel ball was always a -9 Anderson. First 2 years in college was a drop 9 Legit then last season was the 34-9 LS. The new drop 9,s are so lightly end loaded I really don't think it makes much of a difference. But on the other hand she is the only one that uses that bat.

 

[SoGASoftball]

I'm a believer in arm length as well. We have a kid in town that is over 6' with looooong arms. A 34" is too long for her but her coach insists on it because she is big.

 

[JAD]

I always get a kick out of parents who like to brag about the size bat their DD swings....."my DD swings a 34/26".....it is like a bunch of rednecks sitting around a campfire, consuming adult beverages, telling stories about the biggest fish they ever caught. As a coach I really don't care what size bat your DD swings, all I care about is results. But I can tell you from experience that if you let a players dad pick out her bat it is probably more bat than she needs. Get her batting coach or head coach to recommend a size/weight. Let her hit some different weight bats, brands at practice while she has access to teammates bats.

The pitch speed also plays a big role in what size bat a player can use. We just picked up a B-level TB player on our team who had to go buy a new bat because she could not get around on A-level pitching with her old bat. There is a big difference hitting 52 MPH pitching vs. 62 MPH pitching.