"Team" bats?

[riseball]

We have had a couple of team bats at the 18U level for years. Some girls use them some don't. I get them slightly used at a great price or better yet for free from a college team after they complete their season. They usually last only one season because they become very popular and wear out. Due to the high usage they get broken in quickly and become insanely hot. Once they get hot they are only used for games. Have had some girls that rarely hit home runs hit bombs. It is a sad day for the girls when it finally gives up the ghost.

 

[mogsoftball]

Back when I coached 10u rec a few years ago I bought a couple of lower end composites out of my pocket that I got good deals on and let the girls use them as team bats. Now I coach 12u travel and all of our girls have their own bats. 4 of my team are in their 1st year of travel and came to the team with cheaper alloy bats. Soon after making the team I talked to the parents and let them know they might want to upgrade to a higher end bat although it was their choice. I ended up getting them some quality used composites for a lower price and they have all upgraded now

If you are going to do team bats I would agree with the other poster who said get some durable 1 piece composites. Easton Synergy's, Miken freaks, combat virus are all tanks.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Never really understood the concept of a team bat. During practice does everyone else stand around waiting for the players using the 3 team bats to finish their hitting stations before they can get swings in?

The team bats are for games, not practices.

 

[Rocketech1]

The team bats are for games, not practices.

Don't you want to practice with the same bat that you will be using in the actual game? It's like practicing pitching with a different size and brand of softball than the one she will be pitching in the game? Sorry, still don't get the idea of team bats unless some kids cannot afford their own bat.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Don't you want to practice with the same bat that you will be using in the actual game? It's like practicing pitching with a different size and brand of softball than the one she will be pitching in the game? Sorry, still don't get the idea of team bats unless some kids cannot afford their own bat.

Game balls cost $4-5, whereas game bats typically cost $250-300.

Following tournaments, those game balls usually become practice balls. Over time, though, those practice balls pick up a lot of knicks and scrapes and the leather will become worn, yet they are still used in practice, even though the team will be playing with new balls at the new tournament.

Although I'm not a huge pitching machine advocate, I do recognize they can have some value. That said, I'd never recommend that a player use her game bat when hitting dimpled balls. It just doesn't seem like a very good idea to me, but I understand we all have different philosophies.

 

[Rocketech1]

Game balls cost $4-5, whereas game bats typically cost $250-300.

Following tournaments, those game balls usually become practice balls. Over time, though, those practice balls pick up a lot of knicks and scrapes and the leather will become worn, yet they are still used in practice, even though the team will be playing with new balls at the new tournament.

Although I'm not a huge pitching machine advocate, I do recognize they can have some value. That said, I'd never recommend that a player use her game bat when hitting dimpled balls. It just doesn't seem like a very good idea to me, but I understand we all have different philosophies.

What kind of hitting warm-ups do you do before the game? Here's a typical pregame hitting warm-up for us and pretty much every team my DD has played against:

5 hitting stations with two or three players per station:

a) tee station (real softballs hit into Bownet)
b) soft toss (real softballs hit into Bownet)
c) TCB balls pitched from about 15 - 20 feet away
d) bunt station (real softballs)
e) whiffle ball station pitched from about 20 - 25 feet away

Occasionally we will mix in Hit-N-Stick or some other hitting stick.

Where would a team bat fit into this equation? Are all of the players using their own bat in pregame hitting warm-ups and then abandoning these bats in the game to use the team bat(s)?

Regarding cages, I agree that you might not want to use your new composite bat in the cage with the hard dimpled balls, that is why my DD has a cage bat in similar weight and size to her "game" bat.

She also takes weekly hitting lessons. Which bat should she use for that if she doesn't have the "team bat" to use?

 

[riseball]

If they can hit it is not that big a deal to transition from one bat to another that is the same length and weight.

 

[MTR]

If they can hit it not that big a deal to transition from one bat to another that is the same length and weight.

A lot of things noted that were not part of the OP.

To start, I don't believe anyone said anything about a player not being able to use their own bat, but it needs to be established early that personal bats are not available to anyone unless the owner chooses to share. If there are any hard feelings about that, that person should buy their own bat or find another team. And anyone who thinks that all good bats cost $250-$300 is a snake oil salesman's dream or questionable confidence in DD's ability.

There is nothing wrong with have a set of community bats for the team at any age, not everyone can afford to waste a few hundred dollars on a single piece of equipment.

You would all love some of the SP leagues around the country where the league supplies the bats and no personal bats are allowed. Eliminates all the BS and creates a level playing field. Not everyone survives those leagues.

 

[riseball]

...the league supplies the bats and no personal bats are allowed. Eliminates all the BS and creates a level playing field...

Great point. Saw something similar at D1 camp. They had a contract with Easton and when it came time for the players to hit in front of the coaches they laid out a selection of Easton bats for players to choose from. When in Rome...