New bat standards for 2011

[hammer009]

This should be fun. 2011 bats have been tuned down dramatically. Our alumni players were having trouble getting the ball out of the park this weekend during batting practice.

LINK

In short, you will see a decrease in home runs this year.

 

[texas_ex2000]

This can't be anything but a big advantage for the Horns and Garrido. It's not like we try to gorilla ball opponents anyways.

 

[HornHuskerDad]

This is a step in the right direction - but we should still ban aluminum/composite bats. They still contact the ball much better than wood when contact is off the sweet spot. Since it's impossible to shatter an aluminum bat with a pitch inside near the batter's fists (as a wooden bat will shatter), there is still no reward for jamming the batter with a good inside fast ball. The aluminum bat, under those circumstances, will bloop the ball, possibly over the infielder for a Texas League single.

Because of the aluminum bat, we are raising another generation of pitchers who don't know how to jam the batter. These pitchers learn how to (a) keep the ball low and (b) change speeds. Those who go on to pro ball will have to learn the value of the inside fastball to jam the batter.

HHD

 

[GemStateJim]

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[aUTfan]

I think it's just going to put more stress on everyone's defense especially when competition gets strong in Omaha and every out makes a difference. Team with the fewest errors or strongest defense moves on. The only thing I'm curious about is how much it increases bunting in college.

 

[hammer009]

As my high school coach said, offense will win you games but defense will win you championships.

 

[accuratehorn]

This should benefit the Horns, with a field built for great pitching and defense. This year's team appears to be strong on starting pitching and somewhat unproven in the hitting department, so the new bat standards couldn't come at a better time, IMO.

 

[Pericles]

The NCAA deadened bats for 2011 and the UT athletic facilities group, apparently in conjunction with others who think they know best for all the rest of us, decided to string nets all the way across the back of the dugouts.

The University of Texas has played baseball since 1894 (or 1896, depending upon which source you believe). That's over 110 years without any nets across the dugouts.

Don't you just love the world-class arrogance, logic and decision-making that led to the nets this year.

And, BTW, did you notice (for at least those who sit behind the dugouts) that UT Athletic Facilities didn't bother to notify you about those new nets before you renewed your season tickets?

Gotcha!

 

[pike]

good point. They detract from the game. i guess we will just have to get used to looking through them.

 

[accuratehorn]

I don't like sitting behind the nets, and made sure when I originally bought season tickets that the seats weren't behind a net, but you can blame lawsuits brought by fans in other places and resulting advice by lawyers, not any particular hubris, arrogance or malice on the part of UT officials in this highly irritating decision (IMO).

 

[PabTexas]

This will just make it even harder for visitng teams to win in Austin as the Disch was not a HR park to begin with...

 

[petscii]

I'm old now, I need the net. Yes at 41 I've turned into a wuss.

 

[daytonhorn]

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[Horn2Run]

anything to deaden aluminum bats more is ok by me.

 

[salonghorn-70]

Well, I like home runs. This will create a more boring game.

 

[GemStateJim]

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[salonghorn-70]

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