Southland Teams Can Finally Get Into the Swing of Season

Players and coaches are no longer going batty, now that all Division I teams in the Southland have been cleared to swing their new aluminum bats.

On Friday, Hillerich & Bradsbury, manufacturer of the Louisville Slugger, finally provided the Pacific 10 and Big West conferences with the indemnification clause that, presumably, takes the schools off the hook if a bat-related injury occurs. The West Coast Conference is expected to approve the clause in the next day or two.

Because of the delay, games across the country had both teams using wood bats, or one team borrowing indemnified Easton aluminum bats from its opponent, or, in some cases, one team using wood and the other aluminum.

“It was ridiculous, silly and a distraction,” said USC Coach Mike Gillespie, whose team is 1-3 after having played two games with wood and two with aluminum.

“It was kind of a circus up to this point,” said UCLA Coach Gary Adams, whose team has played five games with wood, four with aluminum and is 4-5.

Despite the delay, the NCAA’s intent was good when it mandated a change in bat specifications aimed at curbing the explosion in offense.

Last year, Division I teams hit .306, scored 7.12 runs a game and had a 6.12 earned-run average, all NCAA records. USC capped the season with a nationally televised 21-14 victory over Arizona State in the College World Series final.

The new bats have barrels that measure 2 5/8 inches, down from 2 3/4 inches. The length-to-weight differential has also been reduced. Last year, players could swing bats that measured 34 inches and weighed 29 ounces, a differential of five. This season, a 34-inch bat weighs at least 31 ounces, a differential of three.

Easton provided the schools it has under contract with an indemnification clause just as the season was to begin. But the delay involving Louisville Sluggers caused some interesting scenarios.

Pepperdine Coach Frank Sanchez not only exchanged lineup cards with Adams at home plate before a game at UCLA, he also handed him paperwork from Pepperdine administrators allowing the Waves to use the Bruins’ Easton bats.

“Believe me, I could have put a wrong name on the lineup card and it would be a major mistake,” Adams said. “But if I didn’t get those papers from Pepperdine before that first pitch, I could have been fired.”

Last Friday, UCLA lent Georgia Tech its Easton bats and the Bruins retired the Yellow Jackets in order in the first inning.

Then Georgia Tech Coach Danny Hall got a call in the dugout and was told by his administration that the Yellow Jackets were cleared to use their own Louisville Sluggers. Georgia Tech went on to win, 13-8.

“They get that call right after we get them 1-2-3 in the first,” Adams said. “What a coincidence.”

Loyola Marymount played host to Nevada last weekend, intending to use wood bats while allowing the Wolf Pack to use aluminum. With two out in the home half of the first inning, Loyola Coach Frank Cruz received word from his administration that the Lions could use aluminum. Loyola hitters went to the plate with metal the rest of the three-game series, but the Lions were still swept.

“Tennis racquets might have helped us more than aluminum bats,” Cruz said.

Eric Munson, USC’s All-American catcher, hit a monster home run against Cal State Dominguez Hills with a wood bat in the Trojans’ opener. But the vast majority of local hitters were hampered by swinging wood. USC, for example, has hit five home runs in four games. Last season, the Trojans hit 12 in their first four games en route to a school-record 114 for the season.

Last year, Pepperdine hit seven homers through five games. This season, the Waves have hit two. UCLA used wood bats during a five-game, season-opening trip to Hawaii and was shut out twice.

Not everyone was unhappy with the situation, though.

Professional scouts were ecstatic about watching players swing wood bats.

“To a man, our scouts who saw competition with wood bats had the same comment: ‘What a difference,’ ” said Chuck McMichael, scouting director for the Texas Rangers.

Matt Slater, assistant director of scouting for the Dodgers, agreed.

“It was great,” Slater said. “You have a better idea of a player’s actual swing and power. When you’re projecting players, that is significant.”

Cal State Fullerton Coach George Horton spoke for the college baseball community when asked what resolution of the situation meant to the Titans.

“It means we can stop worrying about what we’re going to be swinging and we can go back to concentrating on baseball,” he said.