"New" softball dad help please

I will echo what others have said...see if she can swing a few different bats of her teammates an see what she likes the feel of. A used top-level bat in decent condition will serve her well. You might find a teammate willing to sell one of theirs. It's not uncommon for girls who have been playing for a while to have bats that they have out-grown that are still in great condition.

Also, welcome to DFP!

Keep working on the mechanics and try out a few bats from teammates. While the bat does make a difference, it's useless without a good swing.

Welcome to DFP. PM sent.

Neebles said:

I reached out to a coach, and they said that while she is really "learning" how to hit, we can expect her to beat up bats quicker than a more seasoned hitter...

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I'm not sure what this statement means? Most players will be getting a new bat every year as they get bigger and stronger and put 5000 to 7500+ swings a year on the bat in hitting practice, lessons, and games.

IMO - I would look for last year's model of a balanced DeMarini -10 drop bat. They run light, have good balance, and are a solid bat. Lastly, if this is her primary sport, I wouldn't think twice about buying quality equipment for my DD that she can use for a year or more.

Echo others to see what she can try from others on her team. You mentioned the 'ping' of the aluminum - the LS bats have a unique sound to get use to. LS and DeMarini are the top contenders in our area as well. We have been a DeMarini family. Make sure what you get is 'Legal' for where she is playing. Some have mentioned really old bats that may not be properly marked for play in certain leagues. Have gotten good bats off eBay that were demos.


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Rocketech1 said:

Lastly, if this is her primary sport, I wouldn't think twice about buying quality equipment for my DD that she can use for a year or more.

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I'm still looking forward to the day when my kid isn't outgrowing her bats every year - lol

Eric F said:

I'm still looking forward to the day when my kid isn't outgrowing her bats every year - lol

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Good luck with that! My DD is 15 and has had a new bat every year since she was 5YO BTW - I just bought DD a used bat 2017 Xeno 33/24 -9 ($100) for practice and will buy her the new 2018 Xeno (same L, W, drop) to use for the upcoming high school season. And then it will start all over again next year.....It's not the cost of the bats that are expensive its the $40 for 30 minute hitting lessons 2x a month for 12 months that gets expensive. Let's not mention the pitching lessons...

Rocketech1 said:

Good luck with that! My DD is 15 and has had a new bat every year since she was 5YO BTW - I just bought DD a used bat 2017 Xeno 33/24 -9 ($100) for practice and will buy her the new 2018 Xeno (same L, W, drop) to use for the upcoming high school season. And then it will start all over again next year.....It's not the cost of the bats that are expensive its the $40 for 30 minute hitting lessons 2x a month for 12 months that gets expensive. Let's not mention the pitching lessons...

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I hear ya. I'm hoping Maddie can stick with her 33/23 CF8 for a while. There's been a new bat under the Christmas tree every year since she started playing (late starter, 8yo). The recent purchases have been cleats (metals, finally!)...and a new chest protector...and a 1-hour session with Janelle Lindvall...

Thanks for the replies all...My daughter is 5'2" 96lbs. She comes from 8 years of competitive equestrian, so she is very muscular in her lower half. Her mechanics are very good for her experience, and we have her with a hitting/fielding coach 2x a week. She is playing catch up.

I do like everyone's suggestion on swinging her teammates bats, seeing what she likes etc, HOWEVER...She won't get together with her team until the week after Labor Day.. I want her to start working with the new equipment as soon as possible. I mean, I'm sure she would be fine with what she has for now, until that point, but she is probably going to be moving up to a longer, heavier bat, and I would like her to get a good feel of it before practices begin, especially since she has access to a hitting coach and batting cages. Yes, I asked the hitting coach for suggestions, and he said the. At didn't matter right now, it's all about the mechanics. I can't dispute that.

Neebles said:

Thanks for the replies all...My daughter is 5'2" 96lbs. She comes from 8 years of competitive equestrian, so she is very muscular in her lower half. Her mechanics are very good for her experience, and we have her with a hitting/fielding coach 2x a week. She is playing catch up.

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LXT 32/21 is my recommendation. My kid is 5'2" 110 and hits the ball 240 feet with her 32/22 LXT.