Weaker bats fit Cats’ style

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In preparation for the start of the new season, UK has found itself making adjustments to the newest rule implemented by the NCAA in 2011: a new bat said to be more similar to the wooden bats used in Major League Baseball and less powerful than the previous bats used in Division I.

“There are going to be a lot less home runs this year, but I feel like it helps our team,” UK senior shortstop Taylor Black said. “We are a speed-oriented team. We like to pitch and play defense, so I think it’s in our favor. But it will change the game.”

On Jan. 1, 2011, the NCAA Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution was instituted. This eliminates nearly all composite bats and decreases the weight in the barrel of bats used in games, claiming that the new bats better simulate wooden bats and are safer for players. Some tests conducted by the NCAA have shown that balls hit by the new bats travel 10-15 miles per hour slower off the barrel than balls hit by the old bats.

This decrease in “pop” off the bat is expected to induce a decline in offensive numbers, especially in home runs. As a result, there has been widespread dislike for the NCAA’s rule change.

“I think some of the complaining from some of the coaches in our league is a bit overblown,” UK head coach Gary Henderson said. “You can still hit a home run, but you’ve got to hit it. You can’t cap it, you can’t get jammed, you can’t be out in front. You’ve got to hit it on the sweet spot.”

Henderson has always prided his teams on pitching and defense, and this philosophy stands to benefit the Cats when the new bats are introduced to live action this season.

Black is UK’s only returning starting infielder from 2010. He admits the bats will change the way players approach situations both at the plate as well as in the field. Most of the Cats spent their offseason working out with the new bats and trying to redefine their approach at the plate in preparation for the new season.

“You know in the fall we used it. You can tell a big difference,” Black said. “Before, guys could hit home runs whenever they wanted in batting practice, and now you really have to get into a ball to get it out. I mean, yeah, it’s going to make a big difference, but I feel like it’s not going to be too bad.”

Henderson penciled in Braden Kapteyn as UK’s starting first baseman, but he will also see time on the mound this season closing games. Having seen the effect of the new bats from the perspective of both a pitcher whose job may have been made easier, and a hitter whose numbers may decline, he too feels the bats will benefit UK.

“I think you are going to see a lot more small-ball,” Kapteyn said. “You’re going to see a lot of teams stealing bags now. That’s got to be the name of the game now. You can’t live and die by home runs anymore.”

Henderson remains adamant that pitching and defense are what wins ball games, and that the new bats won’t have a major effect on his job as a coach.

“The game calling won’t be affected,” Henderson said. “That part, I think- that shouldn’t get in the way, that piece of it … The feel is it’s going to be much, much tougher to get a five spot when you’ve just given up some. I think that- to me as a coach, that’s what I think of. You’ve got to be able to throw strikes, you’ve got to absolutely do whatever you can to keep the freebies to a minimum.”