I know it’s not baseball season, but … the IHSA recently released the findings of the study the organization conducted last spring examining wood bats vs. non-wood bats (a story will follow soon in print). The custodians of the research determined there was no evidence of increased injuries when metal bats are in play. Good. Also found was wood bats produced a shorter game with less hits, though arguably more meaningful ones.
Now, comes the question. If injuries aren’t an issue, would you still support a switch to wood bats in high school because it returns the game to pitchers, defense and good hitters? As for the financial issue: My guess is schools or players would not incur any greater cost because metal bats can run $300-plus and are often replaced every season, and it was found that players using wood bats, which cost less than $100, probably would go through about three a season.
Look forward to your thoughts.
