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Updated March 2, 2023
By Bat Digest
After lots (and lots) of hitting, we think the 2022 Louisville Slugger LXT is the best fastpitch bat on the market today. If you want the best 2023 bat, then DeMarini’s Prism+ in either a drop 11 or drop 10 is where we’d go. Although not cheap, both bat lines have all the sizes anyone wants, a long track record of great success at any level of the sport, and can hit the ball a country mile. They’re a great combination of feel, performance, durability, and swag.
We’ve spent a lot of time hitting the 2023, 2022 and 2021 fastpitch bats among several really high school and little league players. High level two piece composite fastpitch bats are hard to differentiate—most swing light, have a big barrel and a lot of flex on contact. That said, we really like the Prism+ from DeMarini for 2023, the LXT from Slugger for 2022 and, if you want a bat you will LOVE to HATE (because of durability), then take the 2023 Easton Ghost Unlimited for a swing.
We are int he process of gathering data for the 2023 crop of fastpitch bats. But have many of the 2022 versions rated and below.
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
$400
Original Price
The 2022 Louisville Slugger LXT Fastpitch bat in a drop 10 is our hitter’s favorite bat for 2022. It also ranks out in the top echelon for exit speeds, gets crazy great reviews online, and is available in a wide range of sizes. It works well for the big hitter who still wants a drop 10 in a 34 and the newer hitter looking for their first taste of serious performance fastpitch. All in all, the 2022 LXT is an easy choice for our best 2022 Fastpitch bat.
Certification: Fastpitch
Sizes: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Drop: 11
Swing Weight: Mid
Serial Number: WTDXPZS21
Original Price: $400
Release Month: August 2020
$400
Original Price
The 2021 DeMarini Prism in a drop 11 is about as good as it gets in this drop. To be sure, some don’t like it but those people are usually the ones who should have bought a drop 10 or 9. But, those who need/want a super light swing, a lot of flex on hits and mishits (meaning your hands won’t hurt) with a great top-end performing barrel are looking in the right spot with the 2021 Demarini Prism Drop 11.
Certification: Fastpitch
Sizes: 30, 31, 32
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Drop: 10
Swing Weight: Mid
Serial Number: FP22GHAD10
Original Price: $500
Release Month: March 2022
$500
Original Price
Depending on who you ask, the 2022 Easton Ghost Advanced has updated its carbon fiber barrel to be more durable than previous versions. If Easton has cracked the code of that same performance in the 2020 with a more durable stick then they’ll be on to a must-have bat. Early reports about the bat breaking aren’t nonexistent and we’re holding our breath to see if these are aberrations or indications. In either case, if you have a high tolerance for a bat breaking and think the $50 they added to the bat’s price is justified then go for it. In any case, the bat can hit the seams off the ball and is consistently rated among hitters and reviews as the hottest bat, we’ll just have to see how long that lasts.
Certification: Fastpitch
Sizes: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Drop: 10
Swing Weight: Light+
Serial Number: WTDXCFP22
Original Price: $400
Release Month: October 2021
$400
Original Price
A lot of people, including us, love the 2022 DeMarini CF. It’s a fantastic performing bat with a big barrel and light swing. Our smaller hitters that like more flex in their bat preferred this CF over all the others. It’s a great bat that has proven the test of time for the last several seasons.
Why We Love the 2022 LXT
The 2022 Louisville Slugger LXT Fastpitch bat in a drop 10 is our hitter’s favorite bat for 2022. It also ranks out in the top echelon for exit speeds, gets crazy great reviews online, and is available in a wide range of sizes. It works well for the big hitter who still wants a drop 10 in a 34 and the newer hitter looking for their first taste of serious performance fastpitch. All in all, the 2022 LXT is an easy choice for our best 2022 Fastpitch bat.
Certification: Fastpitch
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Drop: 10
Serial Number: WBL2543010
Release Month: October 2021
Related: Best Fastpitch Bats
Why We Love the 2021 Prism
The 2021 DeMarini Prism in a drop 11 is about as good as it gets in this drop. To be sure, some don’t like it but those people are usually the ones who should have bought a drop 10 or 9. But, those who need/want a super light swing, a lot of flex on hits and mishits (meaning your hands won’t hurt) with a great top-end performing barrel are looking in the right spot with the 2021 Demarini Prism Drop 11.
Certification: Fastpitch
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Drop: 11
Serial Number: WTDXPZS21
Release Month: August 2020
Related: Best Fastpitch Bats
Why We Love the 2022 Ghost Advanced
Depending on who you ask, the 2022 Easton Ghost Advanced has updated its carbon fiber barrel to be more durable than previous versions. If Easton has cracked the code of that same performance in the 2020 with a more durable stick then they’ll be on to a must-have bat. Early reports about the bat breaking aren’t nonexistent and we’re holding our breath to see if these are aberrations or indications. In either case, if you have a high tolerance for a bat breaking and think the $50 they added to the bat’s price is justified then go for it. In any case, the bat can hit the seams off the ball and is consistently rated among hitters and reviews as the hottest bat, we’ll just have to see how long that lasts.
Certification: Fastpitch
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 30, 31, 32
Drop: 10
Serial Number: FP22GHAD10
Release Month: March 2022
Related: Best Fastpitch Bats
Why We Love the 2022 CF
A lot of people, including us, love the 2022 DeMarini CF. It’s a fantastic performing bat with a big barrel and light swing. Our smaller hitters that like more flex in their bat preferred this CF over all the others. It’s a great bat that has proven the test of time for the last several seasons.
Certification: Fastpitch
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Drop: 10
Serial Number: WTDXCFP22
Release Month: October 2021
Related: Best Fastpitch Bats
eBay searches for the 2016 LXT Plus from Slugger are plentiful. Many of those searches turn up used bats—the history of which is often questionable. There are some circumstances in which we’d suggest buying a used LXT Plus. In particular, we are more willing to purchase an LXT plus that is a few months old instead of a few days old. There is a higher probability the problems of a composite bat will rear its head when it’s new. The fact the hitter never had a good enough experience with the bat to keep it suggests something may be wrong. This reality keeps us away from ‘used’ bats that are only a few weeks old.
On the other hand, bats with a season or so of good use prove the hitter had success with the bat but just outgrew it. Composite tends to get more productive over time, so a bat with a year of use likely performs better than one out of the wrapper. As such, we look for a dirty handle and scuffed up a barrel as a good thing in the used market.
To make our decision, we’ve spent over 200 hours testing, reviewing, reading, and writing reviews on every performance fastpitch softball bat in the market. This effort also includes nearly 40 fastpitch models with roughly innumerable sizing options. Most of our testing happened in cage work. Much of the rest on the field among different hitters. Almost always, the hitter had multiple fastpitch bats at their disposal. The hitter would often change between one particular bat and another in a matter of just minutes.
Further, we’d spend considerable time hashing out particulars of many of the bats we used with those who used it and those who manufactured it. Many of these conversations, with both players and engineers, were long and helpful. Additionally, we found, to our surprise, writing our fastpitch softball bat reviews, which are vetted by our readers, kept us on our toes. Our data needed to be both accurate and helpful. Some days a very tall task when considering bats in the performance fastpitch space are so very similar. Those processes above have led us, over the years, to conclude which bat generally fits the most amount of players.
None of this is to say we’d hesitate to recommend other bats—as there are a handful of good ones. But the 2016 Louisville Slugger Drop 10 LXT Plus consistently rises to the top any way we slice the data.
It’s an admitted stretch to claim we’ve found the best fastpitch softball bat. Not that we can’t test and measure things scientifically, but hitting, at its core, is much more an art than it is a science. What bat is best for you individually can not be decided by some metrics and hitting data we’ve gathered. As such, we disclaim here that the LXT Plus is the BEST bat for everyone. Instead, we claim this fastpitch bat is the best for more people than any other. As well, we’d be comfortable stating, and nearly every player would have success with this bat. If it is indeed the particular ‘best’ for your hitting and type and needs is a question, we can’t answer.
Within our testing, four common themes arose from players discussing what they did and did not like any particular bat. They are (1) the barrel size, (2) the balance point, and (3) the feel of the bat at contact and (4) the bat brands’ reputation. All preferred a larger barrel. Most preferred a balance point in the middle of the bat instead of toward the end. And nearly all preferred a relatively smooth hit on contact. These four factors weigh heavily in our decision to determine the best fastpitch softball bat.
We don’t imply this should mean we have no biases—all baseball and softball players do. We are among them. But we can say our livelihood does not depend on if you prefer a particular brand of bat that we review. In the end, we are parents and players who love the game and think it useful to share the data and feedback we’ve compiled. Our hope is the approach is both nonthreatening and unbiased. If other parents and players find something useful in these pages, then we feel successful.
Well, maybe you shouldn’t. We are simply a group of parents and players looking to document our collective performance on fastpitch and baseball bats. We don’t profess to be the end all be all in determining bat performance. That quest is usually better left to science labs. But we’ve swung every baseball, softball, and fastpitch bat in the performance space since the middle of 2013. With that said, we’ve reviewed hundreds of bats.
Within that process, we not only swing the bats extensively, but we talk to manufacturers about the bat’s design. We talk to players at all levels of the sport about their experience. Also, we study every available review we can find online or elsewhere. Then, we take that data and put together a 700 to 1200 word review that, at least we believe, is the most thorough and objective you would be able to find.
We don’t sell bats as a manufacturer or a vendor. As such, we have no incentive one way or another to push a particular brand or bat type. No doubt, we do have incentives. Our motivations lie in convincing the reader to click on an ad or follow a link to buy Amazon. Not a guilt-free process for sure, but it doesn’t come with any particular brand bias (as long as they sell it on Amazon or eBay).
Finding the right bat size is the most crucial part of finding the best fastpitch bat. Take a moment to check out our bat size chart.
All the rumors we have heard (that Easton would release a new Ghost) are complete. We’ll keep our ear to the grapevine and update if we come by any ideas.