Hitting baseballs vs softballs

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May 28, 2019
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Does hitting baseballs (mostly at soft toss speed) create any more havoc on these composite fastpitch bats than alternatively hitting 12"softballs would otherwise?
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,589
113
Been wondering that myself.

I can tell you that if you want to give the girl a confidence boost, just go ahead and hit some baseballs with a baseball bat (metal or even wood), and she may surprise herself with how far she can hit it.


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Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,881
113
My dd did this some but, to be honest, we bought a wooden baseball composite bat and she hit baseballs a lot. She also hit softballs with that bat a lot. The HS team I coach now hits with a CamWood bat and with wooden composite bats.
 
Jun 8, 2018
46
8
Does hitting baseballs (mostly at soft toss speed) create any more havoc on these composite fastpitch bats than alternatively hitting 12"softballs would otherwise?
The baseballs seem softer than softballs. Some of the newer fastpitch balls as as hard as a rock
 

CoreSoftball20

Wilson = Evil Empire
DFP Vendor
Dec 27, 2012
6,235
113
Kunkletown, PA
I would suggest not if you want the bat to hold up. I believe baseballs are more dense per size.
Softballs are only like a ounce heavier but much bigger ball. I had a guy go thru like 8 CFs in a year
hitting baseballs.
But im not a physics guy, so not sure on facts...I just think you hit the ball the bat is made for :)
 
Jul 29, 2013
6,799
113
North Carolina
I can’t find the link or article for some reason, but there was a story several years back about someone getting killed with a baseball that was hit from a composite fastpitch bat.

Sorry I don’t have the details…..but if I remember correctly it established the danger of this combo because of the higher exit velocity caused by the more trampoline effect of a softball bat.

Back in 12U, every now and then I would throw front toss with baseballs, really pumped up the girls ego! Until one day a girl named Katie hit a comeback at me that went through the side of the netting and hit me in the right thigh, the net did nothing, didn’t slow it down any! My thigh was black from about 6” above my knee to my groin…..for a month! And it was sooo funny! 🙄 So that little baseball experiment went by the wayside, I learned my lesson!
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,054
113
I would suggest not if you want the bat to hold up. I believe baseballs are more dense per size.
Softballs are only like a ounce heavier but much bigger ball. I had a guy go thru like 8 CFs in a year
hitting baseballs.
But im not a physics guy, so not sure on facts...I just think you hit the ball the bat is made for :)

You're right. Softballs are a bit heavier, but baseballs are significantly denser (harder). I'll wager you could put some dents into even an aluminum FP bat hitting baseballs.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,723
113
Right now my man Core is cringing because he knew my post was coming, lol!

We used to completely disregard any guidelines about what balls to hit… Still do. Hit *good condition* machine balls all the time.

We used to hit baseballs all the time with fp bats. Had four regulars and a handful of part timers that hit with us. That went on with Rocketech’s, Rocketflex’s, Xeno’s, LXT’s and CF’s up until about the time the first grey ghost came out. (We got out of the Xeno business at the time when the white with purple writing Xeno was out. 2016?)

You can hit a baseball really, really far with a fp bat. They are hard to see in flight when you are used to seeing 12” softballs. They are hard to find if you are not in a cage. And A.D. is right, they come back atcha really fast! I would not pitch those without a really good screen.

We broke a few bats back then. DD #2 got one of the first Ghost’s that Core shipped out. That bat lasted forever, and that first summer every player and coach at every camp she went to wanted to know “what bat is that?” I’m guessing that bat hit some baseballs but I really don’t remember.
 
Last edited:

CoreSoftball20

Wilson = Evil Empire
DFP Vendor
Dec 27, 2012
6,235
113
Kunkletown, PA
Sorry I don’t have the details…..but if I remember correctly it established the danger of this combo because of the higher exit velocity caused by the more trampoline effect of a softball bat.

You are exactly right with this as well. Baseball bats are made to take more impact so the
walls do not flex like a softball bat does
 

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