| Aluminum baseball bats are Usually preferred to | | | | are so proud of the fact that they'll advertise it in |
| wooden bats due to their light weight and high | | | | big bold letters on the bat. Then again, if you're |
| power (note: pro players are allowed to use wood | | | | bat is -11 or lighter, it is required by law not to |
| bats only). Lighter bats are usually preferable to | | | | state what kind of alloy is used in its assembly. In |
| heavier bats as they allow the hitter to create | | | | any case, these lighter bats probably do not |
| sufficient speed to put some "oomph" into it | | | | contain the stronger newer alloys. To make |
| (although there are restrictions about bat weights | | | | weight, the producer possibly used a lighter alloy |
| at most levels). Additionally, aluminum bats can | | | | for the thinner walls of the bat. |
| supply more "pop" of the baseball off the bat, and | | | | If you want to be able to know accurately what |
| are much more stable (therefore cost effective) | | | | is in your college baseball bats, look for the grade |
| than wooden bats. Bats today are becoming | | | | number on them. For instance, a grade number of |
| increasingly high tech and costly | | | | 7046 means that the bat is fabricated with |
| College baseball bats are more high-tech than the | | | | standard aircraft aluminum, a material fit for many |
| bats that the pros use. The pros, you see, are | | | | budget bats. |
| behind the times with their baseball bats. Their | | | | The grade 7050 means the aluminum alloy |
| wood relics have been out of style for years. | | | | contains an amount of copper, which makes it |
| Wood makes for baseball bats that are heavier, | | | | one-third stronger than 7046. Other numbers and |
| less long lasting, and less functional than their | | | | grades, of course, designate other alloy blends |
| counterparts made from aluminum. | | | | and dissimilar strengths. |
| Today's best baseball bats are to be found in the | | | | Baseball bats are measured using their length to |
| college ranks. They're made of military grade | | | | weight ratio, a negative number that represents |
| aluminum provided by corporations like Alcoa and | | | | how many ounces a bat weighs compared to it's |
| Kaiser. And these companies keep working on this | | | | length in inches. For example, a 32 inch bat that |
| aircraft aluminum to make it stronger, thinner, | | | | weighs 28 ounces is a - 4. The largest ratio is in |
| lighter, and more stable. | | | | the range of -12 (for little league bats), while |
| These aluminum alloys go by their corporate | | | | college and high school bats are restricted to a - |
| trade names or numbers, and customarily by | | | | 3. These restrictions are for safety reasons - a |
| brand names too. You can sometimes find that | | | | college or high school player swinging a very light |
| the same trade name is marketed by different | | | | bat (- 4 +) would simply have too much power |
| bat makers by unlike brand names. | | | | and could pose a danger to other players on the |
| If you want to see if your college baseball bats | | | | field. Make sure to check the regulations of your |
| are made from one of these advanced alloys, | | | | league before buying a baseball bat! |
| simply look at the bat. Customarily, manufacturers | | | | |