New bat for 10U player advice?

[#10]

My daughter is a nine-year-old playing 10U travel ball, currently swinging the lowest budget 29/18 Louisville. Our team is made up of mainly 2001 kids playing 2000 squads, and she's hitting the ten year olds pretty well, with most balls either going up the middle or to the left side of the infield. One coach has said she has very fast hands, and she is faster and stronger than the girls her size, even though she's 4'8", 80 pounds.

Her tenth birthday is coming up, she wants a new bat, and I'd like to get her one. She has been swinging a teammates' 30" Synergy successfully, and I'm pretty sure we'll move up at least one inch in length. I'm also wondering if bringing the drop down to -10 would be a good move.

I'm looking at the Louisville Xeno, Easton Synge, and Miken Rain and Halo. Any advice is most welcome, thanks in advance!

 

[#10]

Anybody? I'm leaning towards a 30" Xeno.

 

[Tspoon]

My daughter is 10 and loves her new 2012 catalyst.. It has the exact same technology as the xeno.. The catalyst costs $199 instead of $299.. the Xeno is a 2-piece bat where as the catalyst is a 1-piece..
My daughter was at a softball camp this past week and all we saw were Xenos, Catalysts, and Easton stealths, and Easton synergy speeds.. Dont think u can go wrong with any one of them..
My daughter hits well with her Easton synergy but likes her catalyst better for the simple reason it's more balanced.. The speed is slightly endloaded.. Hope this helps..

 

[Craig]

30" would probably be the right size for your DD. If you're looking to spend that much money on a new bat, I'd look at a CF4 or CF5. My daughter has both and also tried the 2011 and 2012 Xeno's. In my daughter's hands, the DeMarini's had more pop.

FWIW, most of the teams in the WCWS were swinging CF4's, Stealths and Synergy's.

 

[redhotcoach]

The mikens are great, and much cheaper! My girls that drop bombs are swinging 18 oz bats. Some will say that's too light, but I have yet to see anyone on any team we've played hit as long and consistently long as dd. She loves her new rain, more than her synergy. She is 5'1 105 lbs

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I have a 30 in, 20 ounce, Easton clarity for sale. $125.00 It has the wrapper on it.

 

[#10]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I have to say I haven't had great experiences with Eastons, at least with baseball bats, my son dented an aluminum bat and broke a one-piece composite bat after about ten swings.

Budget pricing is definitely a factor, as is valid receipts for warranty issues based on what my son did to his bats - the dented Easton and two cracked Worth Prodigy in one season alone. I can get a new-in-wrapper 2011 Xeno from an authorized seller for $117 shipped, and I'm now leaning very strongly towards that bat...

 

[#10]

The mikens are great, and much cheaper! My girls that drop bombs are swinging 18 oz bats. Some will say that's too light, but I have yet to see anyone on any team we've played hit as long and consistently long as dd. She loves her new rain, more than her synergy. She is 5'1 105 lbs

Significant break-in time with the Miken? One of the things drawing me to the Xeno is the hotness right out of the wrapper.

 

[chinamigarden]

One thing I have to warn you about. I bought my girl a bat 1" longer then she needed thinking she would be able to use it fr 2 seasons she didn't use it during the season I bought it because it was too big. Major growth spurt and it was too small by the next season. Buy a bat sized properly for them. Not in anticpation of later

 

[#10]

One thing I have to warn you about. I bought my girl a bat 1" longer then she needed thinking she would be able to use it fr 2 seasons she didn't use it during the season I bought it because it was too big. Major growth spurt and it was too small by the next season. Buy a bat sized properly for them. Not in anticpation of later

Do you feel a 30" is too big? I've ruled out a 31" based on your train of thought, but DD is telling me the 29" is too short to get clean hits on the outer corner. With her, feel is everything, and I believe what she's saying.