CWS bats

My 2017 son has used a 5150 Velo for the past 4-5 seasons. It seemed like a really rare bat. I've noticed quite a few CWS players using them, and just this past weekend 15u tourney. As in maybe 25% of players. Great bat, LOUD, but quite reasonably priced and with good perceived heft.

I think this discussion has gone around once or twice before.  I have not had a chance to look at that many games  yet, and when I have I have not paid that much attention to bats but my observations are:

• The 5150 is still being used so obviously college players think it has good pop. And it's so cheap! I wish my kid liked it. But he thinks the handle his too thick.
• I know that teams are limited to one company's bats, but I still think the most commonly used bat in college ball is the VooDoo.
• the Mako is much more popular with HS players than college
• 2 piece bats with alloy barrels dominate.

A college players option on bats is limited to the manufacturer the team has a contract

Do you think the CWS would ever change over to Wood..?

Just to keep the playing field level....just askin..?

I have seen some new LS bats being used, not sure what the model is...at least ones that I did not see on the high school circuit this past season.  Was surprised not to see the Mako more, but have seen plenty of the S1's still being used....lots of Velo's and VooDoo's

Not a chance in Hades.

The reasons heard most often have to do with the cost associated with replacing broken bats and the relative scarcity of high enough quality wood. I won't take issue with the fact that those are factors; particularly the former. What's less obvious, but extremely influential, is that the bat manufacturers need the college's endorsements...and the colleges need the money their endorsements bring.

As long as the nation's youth swing metal bats, the bat manufacturers need high level examples to which they can point in their advertising to them. Since all professional teams use wood, that leaves the colleges in Position A to provide that example. 

Meanwhile, post-season play is the big stage that all bat manufacturers want to use to expose their product. It's no coincidence that one of the more popular bat models is called "Omaha."

As long as there are colleges willing to contract to use a single bat manufacturer's bats, all college games will use metal exclusively.

Hey DW,  I did not know you were exposed to Greek mythology!

maybe tell RW, the San Diego St Head Coaching job may open up next year!

cheers,

Bear

OK State: DeMarini
UC Irvine: DeMarini
Houston: Rawlings
Texas: Louisville
Louisville: Louisville
Kennesaw St.: Easton
Vanderbilt: DeMarini
Stanford: Louisville
Texas Tech: Louisville
Col. of Charleston: DeMarini
TCU: Easton
Pepperdine: Louisville
La.-Lafayette: Louisville
Ole Miss: Easton
Virginia: Rawlings
Maryland: Rawlings