Baseball: Wooden bats to be used in National Classic

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Baseball teams participating in the National Classic next week in Orange County will only use wood bats. The decision was made after tournament organizers polled coaches following a suggestion by Marin Catholic to use wood bats.

Marin Catholic switched from aluminum to wood because of a serious injury suffered by pitcher Gunnar Sandberg, who was struck in the head by a line drive. The school will be providing 15 wood bats for each team, according to an e-mail sent by Steve Gullotti, the tournament organizer.

Action begins on April 5.

UPDATE: Marin County Athletic Director Rick Winter said he will be transporting more than 200 wood bats to be distributed to teams. An update on the condition of Sandberg can be found here.

-- Eric Sondheimer