DD has tried it. It is a lot of bat for 11 year olds.
My daughter is 16 and a power hitter
Which bat is best? I can tell you!
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My daughter is 16 and a power hitter
Mostly anecdotal evidence here garnered from doing the "eye test" and some empirical evidence from measuring exit speeds .....
First, let me state that the Easton Synergy Speed SRV4B is also a lot of bat for an 11 year old. They are notoriously heavier than sticker weight and the few (four) we have on our team hold true to that.....some up to 1.8 oz!
We have three girls who use the Synergy Speed SRV4B as their everyday bat. Two use a 32" model and one a 31". One of the girls who uses a 32" is a very strong hitter both physically and ability-wise and she reaches her highest exit speeds with the SRV4B. The girl who uses the 31" model has lightning-quick hands and good bat speed but she is not nearly as physically strong as the other two girls. However, she gets better exit speeds with the 4B than she does with the Mako. The second girl who uses a 32" bat actually gets better speeds with the Mako than with the 4B. If you asked me to give an opinion as to why, I'd say that the 4B is probably just a tad bit too heavy for her and the extra oz. she gets back with the Mako is making the difference in bat speed. I say this because the strong girl can get the most out of the 4B and it outshines the Mako in her hands.
Note: The smaller girl with the quick hands actually gets her best exit speeds with a 32" -10 LXT over the 31" 4B.
If I had to choose, I'd say if the girl in question can handle what is effectively a -9 bat, the 4B would be my first choice. If she is borderline or for sure more of a -10 girl, the Mako is awesome. It's a helluva hot bat with a massive sweet spot and a Cadillac ride.
Every girl on our team who prefers DeMarini bats (there are seven) gets consistently better exit speeds (as measured in the batting cage) with the CF6. However, we've seen these same girls launch bombs every bit as far with the CF5. I'm going to chalk this one up to perhaps a bigger sweet spot with CF6 being the difference, although that opinion is only based on the eye test rather than my actually being able to measure the size of each bat's sweet spot. It makes sense to me, though, because these girls can hit the same exit speeds with the CF5, they just don't do so as consistently. In other words, when the really square one up with the CF5, there is no difference. They just square a few more of 'em up with the CF6.
This is what we've seen with our girls.
In that case, I'd say that it would be a real nice bat for her to try out if she swings end-loaded bats well. It is a beast.
If the above is true, you may also want to give the FX2 a look-see. It's the one-piece version of the end load for Easton.
That'd be my choice, too, if that 20oz bat is getting light.
Without ever putting it on a scale you'd still have to assume the SRV4B weighs at least 22oz, so the 31"/21oz CF5 should be pretty close to sticker weight and right between the two bats she's swinging now. Plus, the extra inch of length will definitely help her in games.
I'm not sure how big your DD is but we try to get all our girls into 32" bats as soon as possible. It pretty much takes away any issues they may run into with plate coverage and the extra length really helps them when we go up against the inevitable "outside corner painter" every tournament. Our girls are all 11-year-olds but we only have one small girl on the team (she's about 4'9" and 85 lbs.). the rest are all 5'0" - 5'6" and all over 100 lbs. Only the small girl and one other use a 31" bat in games. The lighter/less mature girls all seem to gravitate toward the 32" CF6 -11 or the 32" -10 LXT. They can light it up pretty good, too!
When it comes time to trade-in that 31/21 CF5, you might want to let DD at least give a couple of lighter 32" bats a go before you decide on a new game bat. That is, of course, if she's big and strong enough to warrant it.
- Oct 10, 2011
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Doug, on our 18U team, our #4, 5, 6 hitters use the FX series. My DD uses the FX1 and the others use the FX2. We've done a lot of comparisons and for her, it was the best choice. Our last "Bat Wars" was against a well broken in -8 CF5 (a great bat also) and she consistently hit farther with the FX1. Recently I took it out against a SCN2b that wasn't broken in and I couldn't tell the difference between the two. I now have put 600 hard hits on the SCN2b so I'm anxious to test it out again, but I think the 2b will smoke it
If you go with the FX series, just know that you'll need to put some time into breaking it in because it isn't "Hot" out of the wrapper like some, but it pays off. Just for the heck of it the other day, I called 3 of the big online bat retailers to ask what they would suggest for a power hitter, and two said FX1 and the other said FX1 or CF6 Insane.
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Do not discount the 32/21 CF6. That bat has all the pop of any -10 (actual weight) bat out there and younger girls really seem to swing it well. We have four girls on our team who use it, each having moved up from a 31/21 of some sort. It is the best bat for them and they hit the ball harder and farther with it than with their previous bats.
Another to consider is the 32/22 LXT. It swings very light, has great pop, and our 32/21 CF6 girls do extremely well with it. In fact, a girl on our team who currently swings a 32/21 CF5 is moving to the 32/22 LXT.
My DD (5' 4 1/2" and 135 lbs.) is adding an LXT 32" -9 to her matched pair of SRV4B 32"s. Not sure if it will replace her Easton bats but she is going to work with both and see where things end up. She really likes the feel of the LTX and has hit some ridiculous shots with her friend's 32" -10 version.
- Dec 7, 2011
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Ya there are a bunch of variables to consider. To me these are the top:
1. It's gotta be the right size/weight bat for the girl - doen't matter what paint color or bat composition if the girl can't swing it.
2. Then right after that one it's gotta be the confidence factor. I would heed the words of your DD when she says "I feel much better with this bat dad".... Don't fight this even if you are sure your best hitter on your team uses the other brand....
But something ya might not think about, but many of you across this globally-warmed (ha!) nation should, is how a bat performs in colderer weather.
Our club did a multi-bat trial (I had spoken about it in past threads) and I was AMAZED at how some "hot" bats just act like duds in less than 55 degree weather. Two bats stood out best in the cold (RT then CF).
1. It's gotta be the right size/weight bat for the girl - doen't matter what paint color or bat composition if the girl can't swing it.
2. Then right after that one it's gotta be the confidence factor. I would heed the words of your DD when she says "I feel much better with this bat dad".... Don't fight this even if you are sure your best hitter on your team uses the other brand....
But something ya might not think about, but many of you across this globally-warmed (ha!) nation should, is how a bat performs in colderer weather.
Our club did a multi-bat trial (I had spoken about it in past threads) and I was AMAZED at how some "hot" bats just act like duds in less than 55 degree weather. Two bats stood out best in the cold (RT then CF).
One of the worst things to do for many reasons. I hope you just did this because you had free time
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