Change to Give Bats a New Feel

The NCAA’s Baseball Research Panel has approved a change that is expected to make aluminum and composite bats react more like those made of wood.

The new scale will allow bats that have proven less powerful in tests to be used in college games, the NCAA said Monday.

The previous standard, which was approved in 2000, was based on how a 34-inch, 31-ounce bat performed. All bats were expected to meet that standard, in effect reacting the same way.

The change, which the panel approved last week during the College World Series in Omaha, takes effect next season.

Since setting a standard that is based on scientific data, the rate of home runs in college games has dropped from 1.06 in 1998 to 0.80 at the midway point last season.