Went from a 29/16 to a 31/19 this fall and now DD is striking out more often

[hummingbird]

You kinda just need to use the eye test on this one. Does it look too heavy? Is the swing noticeably slower? Can she take the heavy bat to a high inside pitch?

I'm sorta going through the same thing. Got a good deal on a 32 -9 that I was thinking DD could grow into by spring or maybe fall. She swings a 31 -11 now. She's killing it in front toss BP with this thing. It looks like she's swinging an oak tree, but the swing is fast and contact is solid. I'm hesitant to let her swing it in a game because I feel it's too big, but man the ball jumps off that bat. Last check my DD is 4'10" 76 lbs. Seems way too small for a bat that size. I just don't want her to go up there and struggle because the bats too big, but I really do want to see her rattle the chain link in center field with it.

The eye test says her swing is fine. Her mechanics and such are looking great. She crushes them front toss and off the tee, but struggles in the game to get her timing down. I do admit, she hasn't had much practice with this new bat, so maybe I'm just overreacting.

With that said, I just ordered a 30/19 to see if it will help

 

[misty]

"drives them farther with the 28 than the 29, both 16 ounces."
If true, this should not be ignored.

"mostly weak grounders, mostly to right field"
IMO, another important observation. She isn't squaring up the ball, before adding the longer, heavier bat to the mix.

If it was me, I'd have her use the 29/16 until she can start pulling the ball on a regular basis. Work on timing and mechanics to square it up. Once she is doing that, a legit 29 -10 would be the next progression. Afterwards, you can progress to 30/20, 31/21, etc as she grows.

I find where we play, many players "rush" to get to the longer, bigger bats, before they are ready for them. Causes way more problems than it's worth.

Good luck.

 

[misty]

Another point to consider is finding a bat she likes, or at least she says feels great. Different weighting and construction, even at the same length, can lead to very different feel (and sound).

I've bought a lot of bats over recent years. All of my daughters are using bats that were not the targeted, or first choice, I thought they needed/wanted. They will like what they like, and it's our journey to figure out what that is.

Have her try teammates bats before buying. You may be surprised by what she likes.

 

[clemenslee1]

We went from a 28/16 and 29/16 past two seasons and went with 31/19 composite. Immediately she started hitting bombs like never before. Started asking myself if I was holding her back by not making this change sooner. Then.. the strikeouts started.
I'm not sure if the bat is the issue or not, but I'm sure it could contribute to it a bit.
My DD is mostly a contact hitter, she rarely strikes out more than two or three times during the season. So far she's already struck out three times in five games!
She swears the bat isn't too long or heavy for her.

I made her go back to the 28/16 and she's now making contact but ball just doesn't fly like before.
Does a heavier bat produce more strikeouts if the player isn't strong enough to swing? Or should I try maybe a 29/18 or even 30/19?

I would always advise against going heavier. I believe a player has to have a good foundation, on how to use the lower half properly first. This is so that they can support the heavier bat. Alex Bregmans Coach @ 8:15 mark

 

[MadBandit22]

We went from a 28/16 and 29/16 past two seasons and went with 31/19 composite. Immediately she started hitting bombs like never before. Started asking myself if I was holding her back by not making this change sooner. Then.. the strikeouts started.
I'm not sure if the bat is the issue or not, but I'm sure it could contribute to it a bit.
My DD is mostly a contact hitter, she rarely strikes out more than two or three times during the season. So far she's already struck out three times in five games!
She swears the bat isn't too long or heavy for her.

I made her go back to the 28/16 and she's now making contact but ball just doesn't fly like before.
Does a heavier bat produce more strikeouts if the player isn't strong enough to swing? Or should I try maybe a 29/18 or even 30/19?

Refer to a bat buying guide to gage your daughters correct bat length/weight. They go by players weight & height but then you need to figure out her strength level and bat speed.
If you list her height and weight and post a video of her swinging off a tee and live pitching I’m sure we can figure it out.

 

[djcarter1966]

Just from the sound of it and raw numbers probably too heavy a bat, as a general rule I wouldn't jump that drastically unless DD had a big growth spurt. It's the 3 oz that's the leap....if you don't mind what bat, it really does make a difference my DD could swing a bigger bat becasue she was using the CF series versus other brands I didn't understand why she wouldn't try another bat but then I tried them all out myself and it just feels lighter than all the other bats of same weight and some felt like they were made of lead you wouldn't think it makes a difference but it does....also at 60 lbs I'm not sure what kind of bombs you want her to be hitting? I would focus on mechanics for now and per the video a light bat will promote that in the short term.

 

[hummingbird]

Just from the sound of it and raw numbers probably too heavy a bat, as a general rule I wouldn't jump that drastically unless DD had a big growth spurt. It's the 3 oz that's the leap....if you don't mind what bat, it really does make a difference my DD could swing a bigger bat becasue she was using the CF series versus other brands I didn't understand why she wouldn't try another bat but then I tried them all out myself and it just feels lighter than all the other bats of same weight and some felt like they were made of lead you wouldn't think it makes a difference but it does....also at 60 lbs I'm not sure what kind of bombs you want her to be hitting? I would focus on mechanics for now and per the video a light bat will promote that in the short term.

I just realized I put the wrong numbers down on the new bat. The new bat is actually a 31/20 drop -11, not 31/19. It's a 2015 xeno.
So it's actually a 4 ounce jump, plus add some for the extra length.

The reason why i had her go to a heavier bat was her swing was really good, bat speed was fine, yet the ball just wasn't carrying, so I thought the bat being too light was an issue. This idea what somewhat confirmed on her first game this season when she hit one deep into the outfield. Never has happened before, even in BP with the older bats she had. But then.. the strike outs started as soon as we faced better pitching.


I understand that at her stature "bombs" are not the norm, but I guess I just meant that she was hitting them much farther with this xeno vs the other lighter aluminum 1 piece bat. It's very noticeable. Not by just me, but everyone in the audience.

The heavier bat isn't hurting her swing or anything. Her mechanics are very good for her age. I just think it's a little heavy.

I got a lxt 30/19 on order to see if this will be a bit easier to control for her. If this doesn't work, then I'll probably just go to a 29/18 and work with that until she's grown a bit more.

 

[badmonkey]

I just realized I put the wrong numbers down on the new bat. The new bat is actually a 31/20 drop -11, not 31/19. It's a 2015 xeno.
So it's actually a 4 ounce jump, plus add some for the extra length.

The reason why i had her go to a heavier bat was her swing was really good, bat speed was fine, yet the ball just wasn't carrying, so I thought the bat being too light was an issue. This idea what somewhat confirmed on her first game this season when she hit one deep into the outfield. Never has happened before, even in BP with the older bats she had. But then.. the strike outs started as soon as we faced better pitching.


I understand that at her stature "bombs" are not the norm, but I guess I just meant that she was hitting them much farther with this xeno vs the other lighter aluminum 1 piece bat. It's very noticeable. Not by just me, but everyone in the audience.

The heavier bat isn't hurting her swing or anything. Her mechanics are very good for her age. I just think it's a little heavy.

I got a lxt 30/19 on order to see if this will be a bit easier to control for her. If this doesn't work, then I'll probably just go to a 29/18 and work with that until she's grown a bit more.

She could just choke up on the Xeno when she see better pitching.

 

[hummingbird]

She could just choke up on the Xeno when she see better pitching.

Thought about having her choke up.. just never been a fan of choking up but that could be a solution.

 

[Eric F]

You added 2" in length and 4 oz? That's a HUGE difference. I'm not surprised she's struggling. Not surprised at all.