Huskers Aim for Return to NCAA Tournament in 2013

[hskrfan4life]

Head Coach Darin Erstad begins his second season in Lincoln in 2013 after leading the Huskers back to the postseason with a conference tournament appearance in 2012 for the first time since the 2008 season.

A trip to the Big Ten Tournament was a step in the right direction a year ago, but was short of the team's ultimate goal of an NCAA Regional bid and beyond.

 

At the plate, the Huskers blossomed under the direction of Erstad and Associate Head Coach Will Bolt.

 

The Huskers led the Big Ten Conference in six categories, including home runs (47), RBIs (375), runs (413), total bases (916), on-base pct. (.384) and slugging pct. (.445).

 

Rest of article here.

[flatwaterfan]

Thanks for posting!

[clyde40]

I found it funny that about half way through last season they had already doubled their homeruns from 2011.

[Nexus]

Good stuff. They have the experience to make a regional run this season. If they can harness the mental aspect of Erstad's philosophy with their respective skillsets, great things are bound to happen. This could be the start of something special.

[flatwaterfan]

Didn't they modify the bats and then found out they were too dead so they tweaked them a bit in the other direction?

[HuskerHacker]

Without getting to technical, the ncaa in 2009 placed a ban on "all" composite bats that remained in effect until 2011 when they changed the rating methods from the BESR standard to the BBCOR standard. In layman terms, the new standard allows hitters to use the composite bats but those bats (and aluminum bats) are all now BBCOR standard of 0.50.

 

BBCOR = Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution (in essence, its a measurement to compare ball speeds off any surface compared to that of a wood surface.)

BESR = Ball Exit Speed Ratio (measurement of the ball speed "leaving" the bat.) The issue with this rating is that many composite and some aluminum bats BESR increased with usage and therefore was perceived as a health risk to pitchers and infielders.)

 

The much like celery has a neutral analytical base, so too does wood density. So the BBCOR standard was created to force metal and composite bats to also maintain a relatively neutral density throughout the bats useful life.

 

So.. to answer your question... No they didn't tweek the bats in favor of the hitter and actually, quite the opposite as batted ball speeds now tend to be lower. Still, players are getting bigger, stronger, faster, etc... so, one can assume that eventually bat standards will again be tweeked to reduce health risks.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Without getting to technical, the ncaa in 2009 placed a ban on "all" composite bats that remained in effect until 2011 when they changed the rating methods from the BESR standard to the BBCOR standard. In layman terms, the new standard allows hitters to use the composite bats but those bats (and aluminum bats) are all now BBCOR standard of 0.50.

 

BBCOR = Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution (in essence, its a measurement to compare ball speeds off any surface compared to that of a wood surface.)

BESR = Ball Exit Speed Ratio (measurement of the ball speed "leaving" the bat.) The issue with this rating is that many composite and some aluminum bats BESR increased with usage and therefore was perceived as a health risk to pitchers and infielders.)

 

The much like celery has a neutral analytical base, so too does wood density. So the BBCOR standard was created to force metal and composite bats to also maintain a relatively neutral density throughout the bats useful life.

 

So.. to answer your question... No they didn't tweek the bats in favor of the hitter and actually, quite the opposite as batted ball speeds now tend to be lower. Still, players are getting bigger, stronger, faster, etc... so, one can assume that eventually bat standards will again be tweeked to reduce health risks.

Have you ever tried to hit with one of those BBCOR sticks? Those things are garbage. I have a few buddies that play college ball and it has gotten to the point where they would just rather use wood.

[HuskerHacker]

Then the bbcor rating is working as intended... garbage is a harsh word and can only be used in comparing the "old" aluminum bats. I'm in favor of the rating.

[flatwaterfan]

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/baseball/nu-baseball-notes-warmth-greets-husker-baseball-team/article_861caae0-4f6d-56fc-8f62-1559d903817a.html