Why does college baseball use metal bats? Deep dive into the NCAA baseball rules

The difference between college baseball and professional baseball is not as big as it is with other sports, but one major contrast is the bats that are used in-game. In professional baseball, the bats are wooden, while in the collegiate game, players use aluminum bats. But what is the reason? It's a lot more simplistic than people would believe.

Athletes grow up using aluminum bats from tee ball until college baseball, and the main reason is money. Wooden bats eventually wear out and break after being used frequently, while aluminum bats are good for a significantly longer period. Some players use the same aluminum bat throughout their entire collegiate career.

A majority of college baseball programs are in the red, meaning they are operating at a financial loss. The price of purchasing wooden bats and making sure they are well-supplied for each player is a lot more expensive than purchasing one bat for each player to use.

While it is not illegal to use a wooden bat compared to an aluminum counterpart, wooden bats are rarely used. The ability to hit a baseball harder and further lies with the metal bats over the wooden ones, which is what teams are looking to do offensively.

Did college baseball ever use wooden bats?

College baseball has seen a period in which batters were using a wooden bat similar to the professional leagues. However, the switch was made in 1974 as the bats were becoming too expensive for schools and players to purchase. Instead, the aluminum bats had a longer shelf life and were put into the circulation of NCAA Baseball.

However, there are still players who elect to use a wooden bat at the plate. One example was from 2023, as Oregon Ducks infielder Rikuu Nishida used a wooden bat and was able to finish the season with a .312 batting average.

For the elite players, it makes the transition a lot easier as they are used to swinging a wooden bat like they will for the remainder of their career; it all falls on the bottom line as to why college baseball made the switch.

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