Recreational softball players, like most athletes, are always looking for the edge.

In an effort to get more bat speed or distance, they embrace new and better products.

The latest to hit the market is the DeMarini Double-Wall bat. DeMarini is not the only manufacturer that makes the bat, but it seems to be the most popular type used at softball parks.

"Every guy or woman who walks onto the field is looking for anything to give them an advantage over the next person," CCAC Director Dave Kistler said. "With the technology, that seems to be the hot bat right now. There are other bats out there that are just as hot as the DeMarini; it is just that DeMarini has marketed them so well that they are the ones that are selling."

The double-wall bat is based on the wall thickness of the bat. It allows more deflection (or a trampoline effect) for the same stress and parts and also absorbs vibration. The DeMarini includes a second barrel inside the original barrel and between the two barrels is a thin layer of grease. The bat does not make the ball go farther, but rather, it opens up the sweet spot.

The DeMarini double-wall was invented by Mike Eggiman, senior vice president of DeMarini Sports. The latest version has been out since mid-September of 1996. It has been patented since 1995.

"It is the most formidable bat that has ever been produced at this point," local avid softball player Jim Stouder said. "I am seeing guys who are 130 pounds and not athletes hit the ball over the fence. There has never been a bat manufactured that comes close to it. As far as what this bat will do, there is no question."

Stouder, who plays in a league almost every night at the CCAC, has owned several DeMarini bats over the past couple of years.

But with new technology, there is always the down side.

First, the cost of the bat. The bat runs right around $300. With a price tag that high, some might wonder if it is worth the cost.

Second, the bat seems to take a lot of the skill out of hitting home runs. Almost anybody with a slight uppercut and a short fence can go yard with one of these bats.

Third, and probably most important, is the safety factor. With the increased speed the ball can come off the bat, some of the bigger and better hitters make the infielders, especially pitchers, fear for the lives.

"It is fear that is felt not only with the double-walls, but with all bats," National Softball Association (NSA) Northern Director Jim Kimmel said. "The bat manufacturer is out there to make the most productive bat they can. That is why they are in business.

"I don't like what I see happening," he said. "But as long as they are playing within the rules, there is not a darn thing we can do. It is very, very touchy."

The DeMarini, as well as other double-walls, is fully approved by all of the major softball organizations around the state.

The determining factor for the legality of bats is a thing called the bat performance factor (BPF). Softball organizations, such as the NSA, will send a bat to the University of New York and have it tested. If the bat has a 1.20 BPF, then it can be used in any tournament sanctioned by that organization.

All DeMarini bats have a 1.20 BPF.

"It is no longer Ray DeMarini's philosophy," Kimmel said. "There are three other bat companies that have multi-wall bats on the market, and all of them have the 1.20, so they are all legal."

Other bats have come and gone, some legal and some not legal. The titanium bat was gone almost as fast as it came. Bats can also be frozen, as in cryogenics. Some Easton bats have been given this treatment for years. Starting next season, all of Easton's new bats will probably have this procedure done. But if a batter tries to send his or her bat away to have this process done by a private company, they could be risking liability as well as losing all warranties on the bat.

But the double-wall seems to be here to stay.

Many organizations and parks have tried to ban the DeMarini from competition, but with no luck. With the fear of lawsuits always hanging over their heads, organizations feel it is not worth it.

"We try to promote softball," Kistler said. "If you go and say you are going to ban this and ban that, that is when lawsuits do start."

"Almost every softball association there is allows the Demarini to be used in their tournaments," he said. "When you have a park that runs state tournaments and qualifiers, you can't hardly turn people away from using it. We kind of go with the flow."

The safety factor is a big concern with new technology, especially if the talent doesn't keep up.

"We have had some near-fatal shots," Kistler said. "But no matter what bat or what ball you are using, there is always the possibility of that. Every year, they talk about it. The technology gets better and better, and yet the players' level of playing is not changing drastically enough to keep up with the technology. That is why we have insurance. That is the major reason."

And accidents do happen.

"Pitchers are aware of the guys walking up there with one, and those pitchers are backpeddaling as fast as they can after they release the ball because it is in the back of their mind," Kistler said. "I know myself that when I use it, I will do anything but hit up the middle because I know that ball might come off there hot and hit someone. And the pitcher is the closest one."

One avenue being used to combat the increased technology of the bats is to change the makeup of the softballs being used. Softballs are usually judged by its core density. The most allowed by the NSA, for example, is .50. Most softballs are .47. And next year it could be lower.

"The core density is to try and counteract what the bats are doing," Kimmel said. "We are pushing it because of the concern of the safety of the ballplayer." [[In-content Ad]]