What bat to purchase for 14 year old

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Aug 16, 2017
3
0
My Daughter plays 14U competitive softball and I am looking to purchase her a new bat. She currently has a LS LXT (-10) 32\22. She has had it over a year now and likes the bat, but has been frustrated lately with the lack of power and line drives that she had been accustomed to over the past couple of years. She is 5'7" and 103 lbs. So she is pretty thin but has a nice quick swing. I would like to stay with the LS brand, but don't know if I should go with the LXT, Xeno or new PXT to help her power a little bit. Also wanted to get some advice on whether or not to get her a drop 9 (-9) 32\23 or 33\24 or go up in length 1 inch and stay with a drop 10 (-10) 33\23? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as you all know how expensive these bats can get.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
1) The LS LXT (-10) 32/22 shouldn't wear out after a year. When it goes you'll know it.
2) At 5'7" you might consider a 33/23.
3) Your daughter's "nice quick swing" may not be so "nice" if she suffers from a "lack of power" and "line drives" while swinging a 32/22 LXT ... which is a high quality bat.
4) While I like the LS brand, the PXT I have is a piece of crap. I recommend that LS eat the loss of manufacturing these bats and discard them ... so as not to negatively impact their image of producing quality bats.
5) If your daughter truly has a nice swing, then the LS Xeno and LXT -9 bats will result in bigger hits. I personally like the Xeno -9s.
 
Last edited:
Jul 14, 2017
181
28
My Daughter plays 14U competitive softball and I am looking to purchase her a new bat. She currently has a LS LXT (-10) 32\22. She has had it over a year now and likes the bat, but has been frustrated lately with the lack of power and line drives that she had been accustomed to over the past couple of years. She is 5'7" and 103 lbs. So she is pretty thin but has a nice quick swing. I would like to stay with the LS brand, but don't know if I should go with the LXT, Xeno or new PXT to help her power a little bit. Also wanted to get some advice on whether or not to get her a drop 9 (-9) 32\23 or 33\24 or go up in length 1 inch and stay with a drop 10 (-10) 33\23? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as you all know how expensive these bats can get.

At 5'7, I would think your daughter should be using a 33" bat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
If she likes the Xeno, then my suggestion would be a 33/23 Xeno. 32" is far too short for a player of her height. For comparison, my DD is 5'-5" and swings a 33/23.

If your DD's hits have lost power, I would bet money that something in her swing mechanics has changed, rather than the bat going dead. A "nice quick swing" may have any number of issues (improper sequence, poor bat path, etc.) that is robbing her power.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
My Daughter plays 14U competitive softball and I am looking to purchase her a new bat. She currently has a LS LXT (-10) 32\22. She has had it over a year now and likes the bat, but has been frustrated lately with the lack of power and line drives that she had been accustomed to over the past couple of years. She is 5'7" and 103 lbs. So she is pretty thin but has a nice quick swing. I would like to stay with the LS brand, but don't know if I should go with the LXT, Xeno or new PXT to help her power a little bit. Also wanted to get some advice on whether or not to get her a drop 9 (-9) 32\23 or 33\24 or go up in length 1 inch and stay with a drop 10 (-10) 33\23? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as you all know how expensive these bats can get.

I would go to a 33/23 before considering a 32/23
 
Aug 16, 2017
3
0
Thank you for the responses so far. I know her hitting mechanics probably have more to do with the slight lack of power recently. But I also know that having a slightly longer or heavier bat can help a little as well. My next question would be then if I have her go up to a 33\23 LS Xeno, do you think the Xeno being an end loaded bat as opposed to the LXT being a balanced weight bat would be too much of an adjustment to her mechanics or maybe too heavy for her (remember she only weighs 103 lbs.)?
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Thank you for the responses so far. I know her hitting mechanics probably have more to do with the slight lack of power recently. But I also know that having a slightly longer or heavier bat can help a little as well. My next question would be then if I have her go up to a 33\23 LS Xeno, do you think the Xeno being an end loaded bat as opposed to the LXT being a balanced weight bat would be too much of an adjustment to her mechanics or maybe too heavy for her (remember she only weighs 103 lbs.)?

Are there any bats she can try? A teammate's, perhaps.

If she likes the feel of the Xeno's balance point, I wouldn't be inclined to mess with it...unless she finds she likes the feel of a different bat better.
 
Aug 16, 2017
3
0
She actually swings the LXT right now. So that is why I was asking if going to a Xeno would be too much of an adjustment.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
She actually swings the LXT right now. So that is why I was asking if going to a Xeno would be too much of an adjustment.

My mistake. I thought she was swinging a Xeno. The balance difference between an LXT and a Xeno isn't as pronounced as the Demarini balanced vs. end-loaded models, but it's all about feel preference.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Unless the bat has be abused somehow, it's not the bat.

The ability to hit line drives has little to do with the bat, and the LXT has a nice big sweet spot. I know...I've swung them many times, and I can hit a ball further with an LXT than any other FP bat that I've tried. 103lbs on a 5'7" frame doesn't allow for much muscle behind that swing; my own daughter is one inch shorter and 30 pounds heavier than that, and NOBODY would call her a "big girl". Thus, the the lack of power most likely isn't the fault of a one-year-old LXT.

33" is a reasonable step-up length for her height, but I'd go with a -11, or a 33/22 bat size. LS tend to run an ounce or more heavier than what's on the knob, and a -9 is going to actually weigh 25oz or more. You're nearing the weight of a slow-pitch bat, and one that only the bigger and stronger girls swing with success.

Have someone good look at her swing, and see if mechanics need attention.

Sell the LXT on ebay...you'll get good money for a one-year-old bat of that quality.
 

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