Help with bat sizing

[toddrun]

Hello, newbie to this forum. My daughter is 14 (9th Grade) and has been playing softball since 5 years old. She is pretty much a quick hands kind of batter, contact hitter more so than a power hitter, with most of the action from her arms and less so from the body. She currently has a 32/22 bat, and she likes is very much, but she is ~5"8" and 140 pounds, so using the online sizing guides she should have a bit bigger bat. So after doing some research, and finding some nice fall sales I am stuck between a couple of bats for her.

#1 - 34/22 so a -12, longer bat with less weight for swing speed
#2 - 33/24 so a -9, and endloaded for more power

Most guides say she should have a 33" bat, none of them really specify a weight, and I know that really depends on whether she can swing it or not. But we don't have anywhere local that she can try on different bats to get a feel for which would work best. I have played slowpitch mens league for over 25 years, and I personally swear by endloaded bats, but that is for grown men. I have no idea for girls fastpitch, but I can assume quicker swing speed is desired. So I am stuck on which bat to get.

Can anyone offer a suggestion here? Real life experience? Any referral at all?

Thanks for any offered information.

 

[iMlearning]

I suggest only going to a 33-10. Anything else is too big of a jump and I would definitely stay away from the -12.

 

[quincy]

Do not buy a -12 for her!

Bat shopping is no fun but your 2 choices are all over the place. A -10 or -9 is the way to go. I have found the on line guidelines OK.

(You might want to try this: http://www.discussfastpitch.com/sof...-reviews/25547-four-nr-2016-easton-torqs.html)

 

[Bigclubswinger]

Find a 33/23. Drop 9 would be more for a power hitter. Drop 12 is too light.

 

[quincy]

When I think power hitter I think hitting it over the fence which isn’t true for DD. She is going to hit the heck out of the ball and might hit the fence if the wind is behind her.

It is about hitting the ball hard and taking your chances. With a -12 I think the batter is doing themselves a disservice hitting the ball hard.

 

[Eric F]

I'm going to echo what has already been said...33/23.

Forget about the -12. IMO, a -12 should not be used by anyone over the age of 10.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Yes to 33,23 or a minus 9.

 

[toddrun]

Great info, thanks. Haven't found any great deals on -10's yet, kind of stands to reason if that is the best suggestion, but I can keep looking. She is a strong girl with a very quick swing, but lacks the fence hitting power because she does not get her body behind it, but has occasionally hit the ball hard just because of solid contact with the quick swing. I really don't think she would have any problem getting the -9 around, just don't know if the end loaded weighting would mess with her swing or not. The other side of her swing is that she has never gotten much instruction to this point on the teams she has been on, but she will be on the high school team this year and should get better instruction. Sounds like 33/23 is still the winning consensus, so I will have to see if I can find her something.

 

[Rocketech1]

Haven't found any great deals on -10's yet, kind of stands to reason if that is the best suggestion, but I can keep looking.

If she is playing year round and softball is her #1 sport, make the investment and buy her a quality bat that fits her and worry less about getting a good deal. These are the tools of her trade, well worth the money you spend. BTW - you can get her last year's model (2015) fairly cheap but with bats and gloves, buy quality for the serious player. Said another way, I wouldn't compromise quality just because a bat is cheaper. For example, the DeMarini CF8 is an excellent bat 33/23 -10.

 

[Eric F]

Great info, thanks. Haven't found any great deals on -10's yet, kind of stands to reason if that is the best suggestion, but I can keep looking. She is a strong girl with a very quick swing, but lacks the fence hitting power because she does not get her body behind it, but has occasionally hit the ball hard just because of solid contact with the quick swing. I really don't think she would have any problem getting the -9 around, just don't know if the end loaded weighting would mess with her swing or not. The other side of her swing is that she has never gotten much instruction to this point on the teams she has been on, but she will be on the high school team this year and should get better instruction. Sounds like 33/23 is still the winning consensus, so I will have to see if I can find her something.

Shoot a PM to DFP member CoreSoftball20. He is a bat dealer, a good guy, and will get you the best price available.

Also be aware that the actual weight of a bat doesn't always match what is printed on the sticker....http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-equipment-product-reviews/20034-bat-weight-database.html