joes87 posted:One bit of advice, make sure he is making contact with the ball with the label up. The manufactures place the label on the weakest part of the bat and you want to make sure you are not contacting the ball on the label. Run a google search on "bat label up" and you will find information. Also, might want to consider "boning" the bat before use as well.
Good advice for ash. Not necessary for maple, though google will find some strong opinions on this topic on both sides.