I just received an e-mail from Rip-It Sports talking about the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and their memorandum to bat manufacturers.

What do you think – will softball follow?

TO: College Baseball Bat Manufacturers.

FROM: xxxxx xxxxx, chair
NCAA Baseball Rules Committee.

SUBJECT: Composite Bat Moratorium.

This correspondence is being sent on behalf of the Baseball Rules Committee, alerting the college baseball bat manufacturing community to an important action being taken in regard to certain bats that have been used in NCAA competition. After significant dialog and review of research collected during the Division I Baseball Championship, the committee is proposing an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the use of composite barreled bats. The committee believes this action is needed in order to protect the integrity of the game and to enhance the safety of the student-athletes.

Before the committee’s recent meeting, numerous concerns were voiced by the membership with a request for action. After a thorough review of compliance testing and a review of the improved performance of composite bats, often exceeding NCAA acceptable limits, these concerns have proven to be valid. Therefore, the committee has decided to put an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the use of composite bats in NCAA competition.

The research reviewed included compliance testing during the Division I Baseball Championship. During this testing, 80 percent of the composite bats tested failed the current NCAA performance level. Because all bat designs must pass this test before mass production, this research indicates that the performance of such bats changed thereafter, most likely due to repeated, normal use and/or intentional alteration. Offensive statistics at the Division I level also indicate a significant increase in batting averages and home runs the past two seasons.

By proposing a moratorium, the committee is not necessarily discarding the possibility of a return of composite bats to NCAA competition at some point in the future, and looks forward to working with manufacturers in an attempt to find a solution towards that end.

The committee requests your feedback and proposed solutions to this issue. Please send any feedback to xxxxx xxxxx at the NCAA (xxxxx@ncaa.org).

Thank you for your attention to this memorandum.

What do you think?

• How do you feel about this change?
• Do you in favor of it?
• Do you think softball will follow?
• How would you feel about that???

Leave me a comment here and let me know.