There seems to be something about as bats get older - speaking in model years - they get "hotter" in peoples minds. Not saying that the 2013 Xeno isn't a hot bat, may be the best one they made, but I will bet you a nickel and maybe even a dime that it is not hotter than the 2015 or 2016 Xeno ! My advice for anyone that has these bats is put them up, get a new bat and wait for the prices to go up on ebay and sell them. The newer composites aren't the same as the older composites so they aren't getting insanely hotter with age like you see in the famous Easton bats of the mid 2000's it is really nostalgia more than anything and what the hitter is comfortable swinging. My .02 but see if Im right ; ) !
Which year Xeno was the best...
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My DD would agree with you on this. She has used a Mako, Demarini, and an LXT and she by far prefers the 2012 Xeno. We have started to collect them when we come across them at a reasonable price.
Bumping this one up bc I have a question. Is the 2012 Mendoza USSSA Pride Xeno the same bat with different skin? I came across one for less than eBay prices for the 2012 Xeno, but still expensive for a used bat, so I have to ask the dumb question to be sure��
From justbatreviews.com:
2016 Louisville Slugger Xeno Plus Review: Fastpitch
We spent 4 hours in our cage comparing the 2016 Louisville Slugger XENO PLUS Fastpitch softball bat (Ebay, Baseball Express $299) to other similar designs in the market. We received feedback from 4 different hitters—each of whom play serious competitive fastpitch softball. We then spent another 3 hours researching previous versions of the XENO on vendor sites and analyzing YouTube videos of bat performance. We also read at least a dozen online reviews that discuss the bat, albeit superficially and exchanged a few emails with Louisville Slugger’s bat team to get some clarifications.
With that data set, we concluded the 2016 XENO PLUS from Louisville Slugger is as good of a bat as you can find in the Fastpitch space and a great choice for the vast majority of players. Players like not only the large barrel and verifiable performance of the bat, but also the pedigree of success the Slugger XENO name carries with it.
The 2016 XENO PLUS, like previous year’s versions, is a balanced bat with a gigantic sweet spot and reduced vibration because of its two piece design. It continues to have the smashing sound that has made it recognizable on ball parks across America (and beyond). The 2016 Xeno will also continue to be a double walled bat where the outside and inside layer work to get the maximum allowable pop for all types of hitters.
This year’s XENO (pronounced Zee-No), when compared to the 2015 version, comes with a thinner walled outer shell. This newer composite design is referred to a PLUS Composite—hence, the XENO PLUS name. This thin walled PLUS composite gets the bat much closer to maximum performance standards straight out of the wrapper. Some hitters are claiming they need no work in period on the composite barrel for maximum performance. Our experience appeared to confirm this—although it is impossible to really tell with just one bat.
The 2016 Louisville Slugger XENO PLUS will come in a drop 8, drop 9, drop 11 and drop 12 in a 29 through 34 inch length. It has options for the widest of markets and will be legal in fastpitch softball across the country: ASA, USSSA, NSA, ISA, and ISF.
The most similar bat to the 2016 XENO PLUS is its sister bat: the 2016 Louisville Slugger LXT PLUS. Both bats are full composites with light swing weights, double walls and the hot out of the wrapper feel (because of the PLUS composite). The XENO, in comparison, is more forgiving on mishits with its vibration dampening connective piece. On the whole, Collegiate teams tend to flock more towards the LXT because of its truer feedback with vibration (it’s dampens less) while younger players tend to prefer the Slugger XENO PLUS due to how forgiving it is on mishits. If we were forced outside the brand to find a similar bat, we’d suggest, maybe, the 2016 2 Legit from Worth.
Slugger will claim the XENO is the #1 fastpitch softball bat in the market by way of usage, collegiate uptake and performance. Frankly, it’s hard to disagree with any of those claims. I don’t think anyone has walked away from some cage time with XENO and thought the bat was lacking. It sure didn’t happen under our tests.
The XENO PLUS is a verifiable yeti of a stick made for both elite players looking to get the most out of the plate appearances and some of the youngest ones simply looking to get the ball in play. We’d recommend the bat to anyone, as long as they could get the right size, looking for a top end stick (and their corresponding price) in the performance fastpitch softball space.
2016 Louisville Slugger Xeno Plus Review: Fastpitch
We spent 4 hours in our cage comparing the 2016 Louisville Slugger XENO PLUS Fastpitch softball bat (Ebay, Baseball Express $299) to other similar designs in the market. We received feedback from 4 different hitters—each of whom play serious competitive fastpitch softball. We then spent another 3 hours researching previous versions of the XENO on vendor sites and analyzing YouTube videos of bat performance. We also read at least a dozen online reviews that discuss the bat, albeit superficially and exchanged a few emails with Louisville Slugger’s bat team to get some clarifications.
With that data set, we concluded the 2016 XENO PLUS from Louisville Slugger is as good of a bat as you can find in the Fastpitch space and a great choice for the vast majority of players. Players like not only the large barrel and verifiable performance of the bat, but also the pedigree of success the Slugger XENO name carries with it.
The 2016 XENO PLUS, like previous year’s versions, is a balanced bat with a gigantic sweet spot and reduced vibration because of its two piece design. It continues to have the smashing sound that has made it recognizable on ball parks across America (and beyond). The 2016 Xeno will also continue to be a double walled bat where the outside and inside layer work to get the maximum allowable pop for all types of hitters.
This year’s XENO (pronounced Zee-No), when compared to the 2015 version, comes with a thinner walled outer shell. This newer composite design is referred to a PLUS Composite—hence, the XENO PLUS name. This thin walled PLUS composite gets the bat much closer to maximum performance standards straight out of the wrapper. Some hitters are claiming they need no work in period on the composite barrel for maximum performance. Our experience appeared to confirm this—although it is impossible to really tell with just one bat.
The 2016 Louisville Slugger XENO PLUS will come in a drop 8, drop 9, drop 11 and drop 12 in a 29 through 34 inch length. It has options for the widest of markets and will be legal in fastpitch softball across the country: ASA, USSSA, NSA, ISA, and ISF.
The most similar bat to the 2016 XENO PLUS is its sister bat: the 2016 Louisville Slugger LXT PLUS. Both bats are full composites with light swing weights, double walls and the hot out of the wrapper feel (because of the PLUS composite). The XENO, in comparison, is more forgiving on mishits with its vibration dampening connective piece. On the whole, Collegiate teams tend to flock more towards the LXT because of its truer feedback with vibration (it’s dampens less) while younger players tend to prefer the Slugger XENO PLUS due to how forgiving it is on mishits. If we were forced outside the brand to find a similar bat, we’d suggest, maybe, the 2016 2 Legit from Worth.
Slugger will claim the XENO is the #1 fastpitch softball bat in the market by way of usage, collegiate uptake and performance. Frankly, it’s hard to disagree with any of those claims. I don’t think anyone has walked away from some cage time with XENO and thought the bat was lacking. It sure didn’t happen under our tests.
The XENO PLUS is a verifiable yeti of a stick made for both elite players looking to get the most out of the plate appearances and some of the youngest ones simply looking to get the ball in play. We’d recommend the bat to anyone, as long as they could get the right size, looking for a top end stick (and their corresponding price) in the performance fastpitch softball space.
It's not really fair to judge the end performance of a XENO or LXT that is a couple of years old to a new one. It seems that, at least with the LXT, it just keeps getting hotter as it gets older. I know that my DD's 2014 LXT has never been hotter than it is today. I have invested in newer LXTs but, honestly, it has been for larger size due to DD growth spurts rather than bat performance.
I am not aware of any physical difference in the Mendoza model, but the one my DD has lasted a lot longer than all of the other Xeno's she has used!
I would like to point out that your DD is getting bigger and stronger.....so hitting a ball farther as a 14 year old than she could as a 12 year old does not mean that the bat is getting hotter.
- Jun 7, 2020
- 221
- 28
Are any newer xenos hotter than previous years?
- Apr 22, 2015
- 71
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Enjoy all the fantastic Xeno and LXT’s while the girls are still young( I think all years were amazing until Wilson bought them in late 2016) because once they hit college. They are gone. Oldest Xeno model on NCAA list this past year was the 2018
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