I read the article about LS and the hardness factor. We have been marketing real hickory bats for about 6 months now after special curing for almost 2 years. Players have told us and our testing show that these bats out-perform ash or maple whether treated or not. Hickory is harder and denser than either ash or maple and are now available at -2 to -3. Hickory is the wood that the oldtimers used and rarely if ever broke their bats.