THE WATER BAT : Will Spalding Innovation Wash With Softball Sluggers?

Last year, “The Wave” washed over ballpark fans.

This year, the Spalding Company hopes the wave splashes onto the field. The Tidal Wave, that is.

The Tidal Wave is a new aluminum, water-filled softball bat manufactured by Spalding.

A player unscrews the knob and fills the bat with water. About six ounces are recommended, but a player can add more or less to achieve the desired bat weight for maximum speed and impact.

By swinging the bat, the player sends the water from the handle to the barrel. Spalding says that adds power and increases the distance a ball is hit.

“Adding water to the bat shifts weight from the handle to the barrel, creating a greater momentum transfer at the point of impact,” said Richard Brandt, a New York University physics professor who has conducted studies on the new bat.

“The Tidal Wave, therefore, combines the speed of a lighter bat with the impact of a heavier one.”

Brandt says his studies indicate the bat can increase the distance of a hit by as much as 10%. For example, he said, a ball that is hit with a regular 32-ounce aluminum bat and travels 290 feet could travel up to 319 feet if it is hit with a Tidal Wave filled to its 38-ounce capacity.

“It could mean the difference between a single and a double,” Brandt said.

“A water-filled bat also decreases the amount of speed the ball loses at the point of contact,” he said. “Because water is incompressible, its presence inside the bat means that more energy is imparted to the ball.”

Spalding says the bat will sell for $48, roughly double the cost of an aluminum softball bat.