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2022 DeMarini ZOA Review

By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022


DeMarini’s 2022 ZOA is a two-piece composite bat that will be available in BBCOR and USSSA. USSSA versions of the bat in a drop 10, 8 and 5. All of the bats have great ratings with drop 5 and 8 leading the charge. The added weight of those lower drops makes gives hitters the right kind of confidence when attacking higher pitch speeds. Even still, the BBCOR and drop 10 do just fine and anyone with a limitless budget and in the market for a two piece composite should consider any version of the 2022 ZOA.


Price Check


2022 ZOA Video

2022 ZOA Video

2022 ZOA Models


Our hitters love the big barrel and light swing of the 2022 DeMairni ZOA. In BBCOR, the bat is a hit—the stiffer connection and light swing make big fans of the kids who need as much bat speed as they can find. Although it didn’t wow us anymore than the $50 less expensive CF, the ZOA feels great in USSSA and will for sure take market share from those who don’t like the history of the durability of the CF.

BBCOR
BBCOR
USSSA –5
USSSA –8
USSSA –10

General Recomendations

Although pricey, we expect the ZOA a good fit for the BBCOR or USSSA player who wants a bat like the CF or META but doesn’t want either the CF or the META. The CF had a very flexible connection and gets bad reviews because of it—despite hitting the ball about as hard as any BBCOR bat. It follows, then, that the ZOA is for a hitter that wants a big barrel, light swing, great feel on every hit, and the latest and greatest that DeMarini offers.

Model Recommendations

ZOADL

BBCOR Review

ZOA DL BBCOR Ratings (key)
2 5 4 3 4 4 4 5 5 5
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
The 2020 DeMarini ZOA DL is a two-piece composite bat with a big barrel and many redesigned features when compared to the CF. The DL version of the bat is the DeMarini D-Lab version of the bat---which is their properitery "lab" that sells specific bats. It is the same as the non-DL BBCOR version but with a different paint job.
Sizing: 32, 33, 34-inch
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Serial: ZOADL
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
ZOA22

BBCOR Review

Zoa BBCOR Ratings (key)
2 5 4 2 4 4 5 5 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
The 2022 DeMarini BBCOR ZOA is a two-piece composite bat with a light swing that attempts to build on the success of DeMarini's CF. The three-letter name, ZOA, is like the ZEN in its makeup (a two-piece composite bat with huge barrel and light swing) but all the pieces--from the end cap, handle and barrel are upgraded and changed. Although it does not officially replace the CF for 2022 (the CF is still around) it does match more of the feel found in the Slugger Meta--which is stiffer. We can only imagine that DeMarini is hoping to take some market share back from the Meta in the two-piece composite BBCOR space with this 2022 Zoa.
Sizing: 32, 33, 34-inch
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Serial: ZOA22
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
WTDXZB522

USSSA Drop 5 Review

Zoa USSSA Drop 5 Ratings (key)
4 5 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 5
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
The 2022 DeMarini ZOA in USSSA Drop 5 is a two-piece composite bat with a big barrel and loaded swing. Compared to other drop 5s, it is a bit stiffer in the connection joint which gives more feedback on the hands. The two-piece composite barrel sounds great and competes with the CF, its sister bat, for space. If you want a top-of-the-line USSSA bat in a drop 5 that is not named the CF, then the ZOA could be your best bet. (That assumes, of course, that you want to pay $50 more dollars too).
Sizing: 30, 31, 32, 33-inch
Release Date: October 27, 2021
Serial: WTDXZB522
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
WTDXZ8Z22

USSSA Drop 8 Review

Zoa USSSA Drop 8 Ratings (key)
3 4 4 3 5 5 5 5 4 5
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
The 2022 DeMarini ZOA in USSSA Drop 8 is a two-piece composite bat with a big barrel and moderately loaded swing. Compared to other drop 8s, it is a bit stiffer in the connection joint which gives more feedback on the hands. The two-piece composite barrel sounds great and competes with the CF, its sister bat, for space. If you want a top of the line USSSA bat in a drop 8 that is not named the CF, then the ZOA could be your best bet. (That assumes, of course, that you want to pay $50 more dollars too).
Sizing: 29, 30, 31, 32-inch
Release Date: October 27, 2021
Serial: WTDXZ8Z22
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 3/4
WTDXZBZ22

USSSA Drop 10 Review

Zoa USSSA Drop 10 Ratings (key)
3 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 4 4
MOI Tech Drb Flx Prof ReSl PlaRa ExVe Relv Dmnd

OVERALL/10
The 2022 DeMarini ZOA in USSSA Drop 10 is a two-piece composite bat with a big barrel and light swing. Compared to other drop 10s, it is a bit stiffer in the connection joint which gives more feedback on the hands. The two-piece composite barrel sounds great and competes with the CF, its sister bat, for space. If you want a top-of-the-line USSSA bat in a drop 10 that is not named the CF, then the ZOA could be your best bet. (That assumes, of course, that you want to pay $50 more dollars too).
Sizing: 28, 29, 30, 31-inch
Release Date: October 27, 2021
Serial: WTDXZBZ22
Bat Type: Two Piece Composite
Barrel Size: 2 3/4

Comparable Bats

The most comparable bat is the CF from DeMarini and Slugger’s Meta. Both are designed by the same major company (Wilson), and both have that big barrel and light swing.

Previous Models

There is no version of the ZOA for 2021 or previous. The ZOA is a new bat line started in 2022 beginning with BBCOR.

Construction

We don’t know much about the 2022’s construction just yet, but we know it has a redesigned end cap, barrel, connection piece, and handle compared to something like the CF. This is a composite bat with a large barrel and, at least in non-DL versions, a light swing.

Marketing Writeup

System override. Introducing the 2022 DeMarini Zoa (-5) USSSA Baseball Bat, a bold addition to the composite USSSA lineup. Zoa (-5), the bat designed for advanced travel ball players on the cusp of transitioning to BBCOR, brings DeMarini’s Continuous Fiber Composite Barrel technology to the USSSA game. Through its technologically advanced construction process, Continuous Fiber Composite offers an elongated barrel profile and larger optimized hitting area. The stiff composite material maximizes energy transfer on contact, allowing the 2022 Zoa to deliver extreme consistency and performance.

Overall Ratings

The overall rating uses seven different weighted metrics to determine our overall score. Half of total rating comes from the player and our exit speed tests (Player Rating: 25%, Performance: 25%).The other categories are Relevance (20%), Demand (10%), Durability (10%), Resell Score (5%), and Tech Specs (5%).

*: When a bat is denoted by a star (*) it is a preliminary rating. Expect it to be updated as we learn more about the bat and gather more data.

(PlaRa) Player Rating: We measure player rating from user reviews. Those users include our own hitters that we test at the lab as well as reviews we find online.

(ExVe) Performance: Performance measures the exit speeds and distances we capture in our hitting lab with HitTrax using these bats.

(Relv) Relevance: We measure the number of sizes and the MOI of the bat. Bats with a wider range of options get a better score.

(Dmnd) Demand: Demand is measured by consumer sentiment and the buzz around the bat.

(Drb) Durability: A bat’s durability is measured by user reviews as well as feedback from manufacturers.

(ReSl) Resell Score: Based on the price the bats go for used. Higher prices mean greater user demand which means, generally, a better bat. A resell value closer to its original price means a higher score.

(Tech) Tech Specs: We rate the bat on its technological advancements from previous years and compared to the industry at large. This is our chance to reward companies who are trying to innovate.
MOI
MOI or Mass Moment of Inertia is a measurement of bat swing weight. This quantifies how difficult it is to swing a bat. The industry often refers to this as things like End Load or Balanced but those words have been overused to the point of meaninglessness. We measure the actual swing weights of each bat we test using the industry-standard pendulum period, balance point, and scale weight. You can read more about that here.
Price
The price is the original MSRP price of the bat.
Type
The types of bats are single-piece alloy (SPA), two-piece composite (TPC), single-piece composite (SPC), hybrid (Hyb.), and wood (Wood). Hybrid bats are made of composite handles and alloy barrles.
Date
The estimated date the bat began distribution.

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