Softball is the most-played team sport in the United States, according to the Amateur Softball Association. Although young players may use the same bat for both baseball and softball, most professional softball players use bats specifically designed for the game. The history of the softball bat is as long as the history of the game itself.
The First Softball Bat
The first bat used in a softball game was made of a broken-off broom handle, according to the Amateur Softball Association. In 1887, a reporter named George Hancock developed a game he called "indoor baseball." The first game was played at the Farragut Boat Club between a group of Harvard alumni and a group of Yale alumni, using a boxing glove as a ball and a broom handle as a bat. Hancock later revised the rules of the game, and softball was born.
Aluminum
The first softball bats were made of wood and were often used for either softball or baseball, according to the Amateur Softball Association. In 1969, Easton marketed the first aluminum softball bat. Many players prefer aluminum bats because the ball comes off the bat up to 3.85 mph faster than off a wooden bat, according to Kettering University physics professor Daniel A. Russell. Easton and other bat manufacturers continue to make aluminum bats for both fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball players.
Composite
In 1985, the first composite bat appeared on the market, according to Russell. The bat was composed of graphite and plastic. Since then, composite bats, or bats made of multiple types of materials, have been and continue to be marketed by softball bat suppliers. Although early composite bats stood up well to repeated use, players found them inferior to aluminum bats until the early 2000s. In 2002, bat manufacturer Miken produced its Miken Ultra, a carbon-fiber composite bat that was nearly banned by the Amateur Softball Association before negotiations convinced the ASA to create tougher standards for composite bats instead of merely banning them.
Titanium
Titanium bats appeared on the softball scene only briefly before they were banned by the Amateur Softball Association. In 1993, Easton released the Titanium Typhoon. Softball players found the titanium bats preferable to aluminum because they were strong but also allowed the ball to leave the bat up to 10 mph faster than from an aluminum bat, according to Russell. The extra speed and distance changed the way softball, especially slow-pitch, had to be played. Rather than place additional burdens on outfielders, however, the Amateur Softball Association banned titanium bats in the fall of 1993.
References
- Amateur Softball Association: History of Softball and the ASA
- Kettering University: Daniel A. Russell: Are Composite Bats Better Than Aluminum Bats?
- Kettering University: Daniel A. Russell: Why Aluminum Bats Can Perform Better Than Wood Bats
- Kettering University: Daniel A. Russell: Why Are Titanium Bats Illegal?
- Easton Sports: Baseball and Softball Equipment
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