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Updated August 4, 2022
By Bat Digest
This is a curated list of all our best composite bats, taken from our list of best best baseball and fastpitch bats.
Certification: USA
Sizes: 30, 31, 32
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Drop: 5
Swing Weight: Mid+
Serial Number: YBB22ADV5
Original Price: $350
Release Month: October 2021
If you must go USA league and composite in a drop 5, then the ADV 360 from Easton is your best bet. The bat hits the ball far, feels great, and does pack a punch. We like everything about this bat but the price point.
Certification: Fastpitch
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Drop: 10
Swing Weight: Light+
Serial Number: WBL2543010
Original Price: $400
Release Month: October 2021
Certification: USSSA
Sizes: 29, 30, 31, 32
Barrel Size: 2 3/4
Drop: 8
Swing Weight: Mid
Serial Number: WTDXC8Z22
Original Price: $350
Release Month: October 2021
The 2022 CF isn’t just our favorite drop 8 bat, it is our favorite USSSA bat overall. Many are willing to size their young one into a drop 8, and we think this is fine as long as they are eager to sacrifice an inch. Never get the wrong-sized bat even if someone, like us, says it’s the ‘best.’ In any case, We love the drop 8 CF. It is predictable, more durable than the drop 10, packs a serious punch, and feels fantastic. No one walks away from hitting the drop 8 USSSA CF without anything but a smile.
Certification: BBCOR
Sizes: 31, 32, 33, 34
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Drop: 3
Swing Weight: Light+
Serial Number: WBL2522010
Original Price: $500
Release Month: October 2021
Why We Love the 2022 ADV 360
If you must go USA league and composite in a drop 5, then the ADV 360 from Easton is your best bet. The bat hits the ball far, feels great, and does pack a punch. We like everything about this bat but the price point.
Certification: USA
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 30, 31, 32
Drop: 5
Serial Number: YBB22ADV5
Release Month: October 2021
Why We Love the 2022 Zen
The 2022 CF isn’t just our favorite drop 8 bat, it is our favorite USSSA bat overall. Many are willing to size their young one into a drop 8, and we think this is fine as long as they are eager to sacrifice an inch. Never get the wrong-sized bat even if someone, like us, says it’s the ‘best.’ In any case, We love the drop 8 CF. It is predictable, more durable than the drop 10, packs a serious punch, and feels fantastic. No one walks away from hitting the drop 8 USSSA CF without anything but a smile.
Certification: USSSA
Barrel Size: 2 3/4
Sizes: 29, 30, 31, 32
Drop: 8
Serial Number: WTDXC8Z22
Release Month: October 2021
Why We Love the 2022 LXT
Certification: Fastpitch
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 10
Serial Number: WBL2543010
Release Month: October 2021
Why We Love the 2022 Meta
Certification: BBCOR
Barrel Size: 2 5/8
Sizes: 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 3
Serial Number: WBL2522010
Release Month: October 2021
You can make two significant distinctions between baseball and softball bats. The first is whether the bat is made from two pieces or one. The other is whether the bat is made from aluminum or composite.
As per the second, there are several reasons some people prefer composite bats over aluminum. Close to the top of most lists is the fact that composite bat barrels are often quite a bit larger than aluminum bat barrels. This consistent feature is derived from the fact that composite material is lighter than aluminum, and less weight in the barrel means more material can be used to create a larger barrel. As well, composite bats tend to feel much softer on contact. The composite (a high-grade plastic) can absorb more shock in the material.
There was a time when composite bats had better performance than aluminum barrels. Now, restrictions on barrels like BBCOR and USABat lend less credence to how hot composite can be compared to aluminum.
A composite bat is a carbon bat whose fibers are directed to give the bat specific properties. These properties include things like durability, trampoline effect, and lightness. Composite is a fancier word for plastic. Composite bats come in all shapes and sizes and tend to run more expensive than aluminum bats. They are made for baseball, fastpitch, and slowpitch. Composite bats dominate the fastpitch and slowpitch space.
Some bats are a composite barrel and an aluminum handle. These bats are referred to as hybrids. They are, in effect, a half aluminum, half composite bat.
Most composite bats are built with a two-piece structure. That is, they have a composite handle and a composite barrel that is connected in some way or another. We refer to these bats as, no surprise, two-piece bats. Other composite bats, although rarer, are made of a single piece of composite. These bats are stiffer, and in theory at least, can deliver more power to the ball (and, we should add, more shock waves to your hands).
The younger and lighter you are, the more you will prefer a two-piece composite bat. Today, there are even several collegiate players still swinging a two-piece composite. Few single-piece composite bats even exist and their small market share might be all the info you need as to how well they are received. With that said, Combat (now defunct and owned by Easton), as well as Dirty South Bats (a small player out of Georgia), make a big barreled single-piece composite bat that many people love. And if you are serious about going to the single-piece composite space, we suggest you start with either of those two.