Bat size

[Npsoftball]

hello,

Reading posts it looks like the bat sizes used seem large to me. I have only bought baseball bats so far for my son, and my DD is now at the age for fastpitch. Do you use larger bats in softball than baseball? I guess I would have thought the same or smaller.

Thanks

 

[vdubya]

hello,

Reading posts it looks like the bat sizes used seem large to me. I have only bought baseball bats so far for my son, and my DD is now at the age for fastpitch. Do you use larger bats in softball than baseball? I guess I would have thought the same or smaller.

Thanks

Nps, you are correct. A majority of fastpitch players in the 9-16 yo range use bats which are too long. It is rampant. Obviously this opinion will be a minority here, so seek for yourself. There are threads on the baseball sites, some of which share player age, height/weight, and bat size. Check those against the girls bat lengths seen on this site for a chuckle.

 

[iMlearning]

There area couple big online retailers that have "bat coaches". You punch in your information and they suggest the correct size. They are pretty good in my opinion. Just keep in mind that a 30" -10 from one company may weigh more than the same size from another company. You can check Eric ' s bat weight database in the equipment section.

 

[collinspc]

Nps, you are correct. A majority of fastpitch players in the 9-16 yo range use bats which are too long. It is rampant. Obviously this opinion will be a minority here, so seek for yourself. There are threads on the baseball sites, some of which share player age, height/weight, and bat size. Check those against the girls bat lengths seen on this site for a chuckle.

If I check for my daughter on one of the sites bat guide it shows a 34 inch length. Checking the identical numbers for height and weight for my son it tells me 32 inch bat for baseball. So for the same size person, which my kids are very close at this point, the guide tells me to go longer for my daughter.

 

[JAD]

Reading posts it looks like the bat sizes used seem large to me. I have only bought baseball bats so far for my son, and my DD is now at the age for fastpitch. Do you use larger bats in softball than baseball? I guess I would have thought the same or smaller.

I believe most baseball bats are -3, while most softball bats are -10, which may lead to the larger sizes at younger age groups. That said, I would agree that there are a lot of players using bigger bats than they should!

 

[collinspc]

I believe most baseball bats are -3, while most softball bats are -10, which may lead to the larger sizes at younger age groups. That said, I would agree that there are a lot of players using bigger bats than they should!

-3 for Pony and up, Mustang and below can have drop 10 weights.

 

[inthunder]

I see alot of ladies using bats too big and sometimes waaay to big. Sometimes it parents wanting to squeeze 2 seasons out of a bat, understandable, sometimes its the girl saying " I swing a 33" or 34". Ive heard that one at the cage. Yeah, they swing it, but you can take a weekend vacation in the time it takes them to get the bat into the hitting zone!!! My daughter is probly the strongers (physically) on her team, one of the tallest and has one of the better swings, although as many it is a work in progress yet she swings one of the shortest bats. At 12u, its just hard for me to see a girl, however there are exceptions, that requires a 34" bat, rarely 33" IMO. I know drops have much to do with it, but you still have a long bat to get moving when your 5'2 LOL.

 

[29dad]

Was just thinking about this today - DD's different bat sizes over the years. She went from being a smallish contact hitter to almost 5'7," 150 pounds and very strong. Here's her game bat journey over the years, not sure how typical or atypical this is:

10U: 31/21 Easton (can't remember what model)
11u: 32/22 (Demarini CF4 Hope)
12U: 32/22 (Demarini CF4 Hope)
13U: 33/23 (Xeno)
14U: 34/25 (Xeno)
15U: 34/25 (Xeno)
16U: 34/26 (LXT) just purchased - too soon to tell if it's too heavy but so far so good

 

[mj1569]

The way I have always chosen the bat length for my DD has been to have her standing up and place the bat next to her side with the end cap resting on the ground. The proper length bat should have the knob coming up to about even with her wrist. The drop weight is dependent on the hitter's strength and skill. For younger player, 10U to 12U, I would consider a -12 or -11. When you start getting to about 14 or so a -10 is more common. A players strength will help decide if she should move to a -9 or heavier.