Discuss Fastpitch is getting my numbers first. No bucket sitters were harmed during the testing process
Year ago I played for an Easton sponsored baseball team and I've stayed in touch with several employees. I received a Ghost several weeks ago so I could test it out and give opinion. I only accepted it under the full disclosure that I would post the results here without prejudice. Surprisingly they showed a ton of confidence and they accepted. I DID NOT pay for the bat and I'm not a shill. Just the facts! My Facts!
My daughter has been swinging a 2016 Xeno for a while. She hits very hard (probably not hard enough for the "hitting experts " in chatrooms) and has a good eye . We started with front toss and 50ish MPH machine pitching. The first thing she noticed was quite a bit more vibration in comparison the the Xeno. She said it was a "significant" difference. We then we to the tee. Overall she hit about 300 +- balls. She liked the bat, but wasn't a huge fan of the thin grip. That's easily fixed of course.
The next day we headed to the cage for tee work. She loosened up a bit and we alternated 5 balls with each bat. She said the Xeno felt a little faster. That means nothing . After 30 balls i grabbed the Stalker Sport 2 and headed behind the L screen for some numbers. We were also hitting in a cage that was equipped with HitTrax (5' in front of tee) to verify. Not surprised the numbers were almost identical.
We recorded a total of 60 balls off of each bat. I dropped 3 of the fastest numbers (no speed lost) and the three slowest (missed hits). We were hitting only Pro Nine .47 375 balls. They were used but still hard.
12 YO
Xeno average speed 54.7 MPH
Ghost average speed 54.1 MPH
10 YO (Warm Up and Off The Tee). She swings a 32 Xeno, but she swung the 33 for the test. for kicks.
Xeno average speed 48.8
Ghost average speed 46.2
Next Up 47yo Dad! No warm up just a dozen or so swings to loosen up. 6 hits. I would've hit more, but the composite bats felt like they we're going to explode and had a ton of flex.
Xeno average speed 92.4
Ghost average speed 93.5
Old Hickory Pro Maple 34" 88.6
My conclusion is the same as I suspected when I received the bat. There's no way legally to get around the approval process form various organizations and manufactures are shaking about the liability of funny business if someone gets hurt. If you're swinging any other Easton model prior to the Ghost you will be blown away. Zero doubts. If you're use to swinging a Xeno it will be an expensive sideways move especially considering it's not approved across the board. Swing away if you get it for free . My daughter played in a tourney last Saturday and I asked her if she wanted to unleash the Ghost and she said no thanks dad. I'm ok
Caveats:
IF the Ghost opens up a little more it might make a slight difference. I suspect manufacturers consider this prior due to liabilities. If the bat starts failing compression tests at tournaments I would bet they would be deemed illegal association wide. I don't think that it will above the 300-400 hits, but who knows. The double wall design MUST be spanked to take advantage of the boost. Notice the numbers. The harder you hit the more significant the speed difference. In my worthless opinion opening up wont yield monumental results based on my previous experiences.
Pros:
It's a great bat! "out of the wrapper" pop
Thin grip for small hands
Cons:
Much more vibration than the Louisville offerings
Not fully approved across the board. That's a big consideration
Year ago I played for an Easton sponsored baseball team and I've stayed in touch with several employees. I received a Ghost several weeks ago so I could test it out and give opinion. I only accepted it under the full disclosure that I would post the results here without prejudice. Surprisingly they showed a ton of confidence and they accepted. I DID NOT pay for the bat and I'm not a shill. Just the facts! My Facts!
My daughter has been swinging a 2016 Xeno for a while. She hits very hard (probably not hard enough for the "hitting experts " in chatrooms) and has a good eye . We started with front toss and 50ish MPH machine pitching. The first thing she noticed was quite a bit more vibration in comparison the the Xeno. She said it was a "significant" difference. We then we to the tee. Overall she hit about 300 +- balls. She liked the bat, but wasn't a huge fan of the thin grip. That's easily fixed of course.
The next day we headed to the cage for tee work. She loosened up a bit and we alternated 5 balls with each bat. She said the Xeno felt a little faster. That means nothing . After 30 balls i grabbed the Stalker Sport 2 and headed behind the L screen for some numbers. We were also hitting in a cage that was equipped with HitTrax (5' in front of tee) to verify. Not surprised the numbers were almost identical.
We recorded a total of 60 balls off of each bat. I dropped 3 of the fastest numbers (no speed lost) and the three slowest (missed hits). We were hitting only Pro Nine .47 375 balls. They were used but still hard.
12 YO
Xeno average speed 54.7 MPH
Ghost average speed 54.1 MPH
10 YO (Warm Up and Off The Tee). She swings a 32 Xeno, but she swung the 33 for the test. for kicks.
Xeno average speed 48.8
Ghost average speed 46.2
Next Up 47yo Dad! No warm up just a dozen or so swings to loosen up. 6 hits. I would've hit more, but the composite bats felt like they we're going to explode and had a ton of flex.
Xeno average speed 92.4
Ghost average speed 93.5
Old Hickory Pro Maple 34" 88.6
My conclusion is the same as I suspected when I received the bat. There's no way legally to get around the approval process form various organizations and manufactures are shaking about the liability of funny business if someone gets hurt. If you're swinging any other Easton model prior to the Ghost you will be blown away. Zero doubts. If you're use to swinging a Xeno it will be an expensive sideways move especially considering it's not approved across the board. Swing away if you get it for free . My daughter played in a tourney last Saturday and I asked her if she wanted to unleash the Ghost and she said no thanks dad. I'm ok
Caveats:
IF the Ghost opens up a little more it might make a slight difference. I suspect manufacturers consider this prior due to liabilities. If the bat starts failing compression tests at tournaments I would bet they would be deemed illegal association wide. I don't think that it will above the 300-400 hits, but who knows. The double wall design MUST be spanked to take advantage of the boost. Notice the numbers. The harder you hit the more significant the speed difference. In my worthless opinion opening up wont yield monumental results based on my previous experiences.
Pros:
It's a great bat! "out of the wrapper" pop
Thin grip for small hands
Cons:
Much more vibration than the Louisville offerings
Not fully approved across the board. That's a big consideration