Bat rule change helping Diamond ‘Dog pitchers open season at 14-2
Fresno State knows the dangers of a baseball making contact with a pitcher all too well.
In June 2007, Tanner Scheppers, then Bulldogs ace, was struck in the head by a baseball on a line drive during an NCAA regional game in San Diego. Reports said that Scheppers was on the ground for nearly 10 minutes, and he was rushed to a hospital shortly after being carried off the pitcher’s mound on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.
It was a scary scene, but with the new NCAA-mandated rule on college bats, the potential risk of pitchers being struck by a ball is likely to be reduced.
“I would definitely say that before, there was a definite possibility of getting hurt by the ball,” Bulldogs pitcher Greg Gonzalez said. “You could still get hurt by these, but I mean it was definitely a lot more dangerous before.”
The switch from composite barreled bats to aluminum bats ensures the safety of players and evens a playing field for the offense and defense.
College baseball has seen an explosion of offensive output, and to counter this, new bats must meet the newly introduced Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution standard.
According to the NCAA, over the past four years per-game average of home runs have steadily risen from 0.68 in 2007 to 0.94 last season, and so have runs per game from 6.10 to 6.98.
“A lot of times last year, the bats were so powerful that if we make a good pitch, we do exactly what we wanted with the ball, [batters] wouldn’t get it all the way square or anything, and it would still go,” Gonzalez said.
But no more. Bulldog pitchers are seeing much more success on the mound this season. The team’s earned run average has dropped from a staggering 6.05 last year to 2.70 this season. Gonzalez is currently 4-0 and has given up only four earned runs in five starts. The strong pitching has led to a program-best 14-2 start.
“From a pitching standpoint, I guess we’re in favor of them,” Gonzalez said of the new bats.
But as predicted, the Bulldogs batting numbers have decreased a bit because of the new bats. Through the 2010 season, head coach Mike Batesole’s squad batted .322 and though 16 games are batting .295 as a team.
No Fresno State player has struggled more than Bulldog first baseman Jordan Ribera, last season’s national home run leader with 27. Ribera has only one home run through 16 games and is batting .203 from the plate. About this same time last year, Ribera blasted eight home runs and had three alone in a four-game series against Nebraska.
Ribera said the new bats have posed a challenge for him, but he isn’t blaming the bats for his recent funk.
“They challenge you a little bit more as a hitter to barrel it up,” Ribera said. “You don’t get away with as many things this year as you would last year.
“You can’t let the bat affect you or your swing,” he added. “That’s when you start creating problems.”
Although the new bats have dipped into players’ batting averages and have improved pitcher’s ERA, the preparation and experience gained from these bats are valuable for their future careers in the majors.
“I think it definitely prepares you better,” Ribera said. “It’s got a little bit more of a wood feel. It’s a lot closer to wood than last year’s bats are, but at the same time it’s still metal. So, if you start using wood, it’s going to shock you a little bit too if you don’t use wood as often. They’re closer to wood than the bats were last year.”