New gear advice?

[wazzy]

DD is gearing up to start her first season of 10U TB and we have been looking at getting a composite bat. She currently stands at 4'7" and swings a 31/21 Louisville Slugger aluminum bat that was gifted to her by an older player. I doubt it is the right size, but she swings it well, and she's a better than decent hitter. I would love to get her a Ghost, but am afraid of spending the money after reading all of the reviews. And I want advice on the size since she is young and clearly hasn't hit her growth spurt yet. I think she could probably swing a 32... are bats something you buy to grow into?

Also- and this is maybe a "mom" question- but I'd love some advice on softball pants for girls with thicker thighs? DD has a powerfully built lower body and is compact, so needs lower rise in the front, higher rise in the back. I can't stand seeing her tug on her pants while pitching. She pitches with such out-of-character confidence that it drives me nuts to see her fretting over a possible wardrobe malfunction, if that makes sense. Any tips?

 

[KrisHur]

If she's hitting well with the 31/21 I'd stick with it but not spend for the Ghost at that age, if it has to be Easton I'd go with the Prowess. If she likes her LS look at the Xeno. You can find some great deals on last year's model and at that age they don't hit hard enough to really "use up" the bat so you might even consider a pre-owned 31/21 from ebay that doesn't look too beat up. There are a couple 2019 31/21 Xenos on ebay for $70-$90, new from closeout bats for $180. JMO

 

[Towny9]

A 31/21 is a big bat for 10U. I coach 10U and a lot of my girls used bats that were too big coming out of coach pitch and quickly transitioned to where they all swing 29s and 1 girls swings a 30. Most of our 12U team players still swing 30” bats. I wouldn’t go any bigger then what she is swinging now, but the first time she sees good velocity in travel ball you may decide to go smaller/lighter.

 

[Coachkat]

Pants I recommend the champro tournament traditional lowrise. My DD is a catcher with the butt and thighs that come from all those squats plus genetics. She's never having to pull them up during games and I usually can find them on sale at Epicsports.com. New Balance also have softball pants cut looser in hips and thighs.

 

[MB2.0LHT]

DD is gearing up to start her first season of 10U TB and we have been looking at getting a composite bat. She currently stands at 4'7" and swings a 31/21 Louisville Slugger aluminum bat that was gifted to her by an older player. I doubt it is the right size, but she swings it well, and she's a better than decent hitter. I would love to get her a Ghost, but am afraid of spending the money after reading all of the reviews. And I want advice on the size since she is young and clearly hasn't hit her growth spurt yet. I think she could probably swing a 32... are bats something you buy to grow into?

Also- and this is maybe a "mom" question- but I'd love some advice on softball pants for girls with thicker thighs? DD has a powerfully built lower body and is compact, so needs lower rise in the front, higher rise in the back. I can't stand seeing her tug on her pants while pitching. She pitches with such out-of-character confidence that it drives me nuts to see her fretting over a possible wardrobe malfunction, if that makes sense. Any tips?

At 4’ 7” she should be swinging a 30” bat as long as she is around or under 130Lbs.
I would recommend an LXT or Demarini CF or Prism. All evenly balanced lighter bats with big sweet spots.
I would purchase last years models to save some money.

 

[ANNASDAD]

A 31/21 is a big bat for 10U. I coach 10U and a lot of my girls used bats that were too big coming out of coach pitch and quickly transitioned to where they all swing 29s and 1 girls swings a 30. Most of our 12U team players still swing 30” bats. I wouldn’t go any bigger then what she is swinging now, but the first time she sees good velocity in travel ball you may decide to go smaller/lighter.

I agree with everything Towny said, I’d look at a used 30/20 composite!

 

[wazzy]

If she's hitting well with the 31/21 I'd stick with it but not spend for the Ghost at that age, if it has to be Easton I'd go with the Prowess. If she likes her LS look at the Xeno. You can find some great deals on last year's model and at that age they don't hit hard enough to really "use up" the bat so you might even consider a pre-owned 31/21 from ebay that doesn't look too beat up. There are a couple 2019 31/21 Xenos on ebay for $70-$90, new from closeout bats for $180. JMO

Loves her LS!! But all of her team gear is Easton. Would look into both, for sure.

 

[So Cal Seth]

For comparison, my 9 y/o swings a 29/18. She is average height, average weight.

 

[wazzy]

Pants I recommend the champro tournament traditional lowrise. My DD is a catcher with the butt and thighs that come from all those squats plus genetics. She's never having to pull them up during games and I usually can find them on sale at Epicsports.com. New Balance also have softball pants cut looser in hips and thighs.

Thank you- wicked helpful!

 

[wazzy]

For comparison, my 9 y/o swings a 29/18. She is average height, average weight.

My 10 y/o hasn't used a 29 since tee ball. Maybe we are off-base? She is fairly short but heavier than average I would say.