Need help choosing right size bat

[MJs Dad]

My 13yr old DD is 5'11" and weighs about 190#'s. She has been swinging a 34/25 rocket tech. She hasn't had a problem up untill now. Since moving up to14U she is having a hard time catching up to better and faster pitching. I need some suggestions on what would be the proper size and type of bat for her.

 

[PEPPERS]

Don’t be so quick to blame it on the bat, many times the swing is the problem. A swing can be successful at lower levels and a player discovers it does not get the job done at the higher lever, due to better pitching, or it could be a timing problem.

Without seeing the swing it would hard to tell, does she have rhythm and movement, does she cast, is she loaded when the pitcher is top at the top of the K or is she struggling due to the bat being too heavy? I’m just saying that a lighter bat may not be the answer. Having said that a 25 oz bat is heavy let her try a lighter bat to see if she improves on her mechanics.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

She has the right bat in my opinion. She just needs a few hitting lessons.

One thing that my kids liked to practice with was called the Personal Pitcher. It pushed out poly golf balls.

 

[Brittany'sDad]

Hi Mj’s Dad,
My Daughter went through a similar situation last year. After leading her school ball team in hitting (.437 avg. couple of home runs, etc.) and batting leadoff during tb she went through a slump. Part of the reason was the coach was a first year coach who returned home from college the day before the first game and placed her seventh in the lineup based on information she received from the parent she was nannying for. The politics involved there are too many to get into however; she had a bad day at the plate that game and was moved even further down the batting order. After a few games she could no longer make contact and was convinced she could no longer hit, even saying she could not see the ball anymore. I told her she believed a lie and proceeded to get her confidence back up. I had bought a “crusher” machine online that fires golf ball size balls at up to 40mph the year before and took it to the field and set it up at the pitcher’s mound. Now while I would not recommend this product because the pitch location is seemingly in and out of the zone on every pitch it did help her focus her eye on the ball. One adjustment I did have her make was to load at the pitcher’s “k” or when the ball was over the pitchers head which was simulated by me. After more than an hour of this telling her to move forward every time she hit five in a row we went to the local batting cage. We started at the fifty miles per hour tunnel and like at the field I had her move forward every time she hit five in a row. We progressed from the 50 cage to the 55 cage then to the 60 cage then to the 65 mile an hour cage where she was making contact with 9 out of 10 pitches. Now that she was pretty tired I asked her what the difference between the cage and the batter’s box was since the machines are just as inconsistent in pitch location. She said there isn’t any and the next game she went 4 for 4 with a Home Run even telling a teammate who was struggling that she believed a lie as well. It was not the Rocket tech she swings it was her confidence, you may find the same applies to your daughter as well.
Hitting like pitching is 80% mental and 20% physical and though the coach never placed her higher than sixth in the batting order, she carried the team in several games both on the mound at the plate. Now she does not care where she hits in the batting order and has great confidence at the plate even after bad days. Incidentally when she played up several times for the association’s 16u team last year that coach batted her leadoff and was rewarded for it.
Mike

 

[MJs Dad]

Thanks for the feedback. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but that's what is great about this site. You don't always what want but sometimes you get what you need. (I think that from a song but I'm not sure). I guess I was hoping I could just buy my DD a new bat and it would fix everything. But after evaluating the situation futher I think it is a confidence issue. We've signed her up with an excelent hitting instructor and I think with a little hard work she'll be crushing the ball again in no time. Thanks again.

 

[MJs Dad]

Turns out it wasn't the bat. It was the swing! After 30 seconds with the instructor he identified that her top hand grip was too weak. He had her correct it and she crushed the ball for the rest of the lesson! I can't wait for her next team BP practice.