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Updated August 4, 2022
By Bat Digest
To find the best slow pitch softball bats, we looked at popularity, field testing exit speeds, and elite player feedback. To find the most popular, we looked on all major sites (including Amazon, JustBats, and Dicks Sporting Goods) and ranked slow pitch bats by their popularity. Those top three were the 2019 Izzy Psycho SuperMax and Easton Fire Flex in USSSA and the Miken DC-41 in ASA. Those bats are all recommendable. Regarding field testing and player feedback, we like the Monsta Torch LC in USA/ASA (eBay) and the Izzy Psycho SuperMax (Amazon) in USSSA. More insight on these best slowpitch softball bats is found below.
You should see our write-ups on the best USSSA slowpitch bat and best ASA slowpitch bats.
January is around the time the 2023 slowpitch USSSA and ASA bats arrive. If, in the meantime, any bat unseats the Miken Izzy Psycho SuperMax (Amazon) or Monsta Torch LC (eBay), we will update this page. But we are not holding our breath. Most slowpitch softball bats don’t change much from year to year—aside from the graphics.
Certification: Slowpitch - ASA
Sizes: 25, 26, 27
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Drop: 34
Swing Weight: Mid
Serial Number: TORCCHMO22
Original Price: $280
Release Month:
The Monsta TORCH is a legend. So much so that they are hard to find in stock virtually anywhere. COVID and shipping issues have done a real number on the bat’s availability. The Monsta Torch hasn’t changed much over the last couple of years and any version you can find of it is usually just a new colorway of last year’s model. The 2020 Monsta TORCH is one of the favorite USA slowpitch bats ever, and any version subsequent to that is worth picking up if budget is of no concern nd you want the bat most think is the best USA slowpitch bat.
Certification: Slowpitch - ASA
Sizes: 25, 26, 27
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Drop: 34
Swing Weight: Mid+
Serial Number: WRH22A
Original Price: $320
Release Month:
Talk to anyone who has used the Worth Krecher and it’s always the same: the bat is good. Huge barrel, balanced swing and pretty soft feel don’t the connection point does wonders for the expectations of every hit. Everything feels like a bomb, and most are. The bat is revered among the internet and is the best not Monsta ASA slowpitch bat for 2022/23.
Why We Love the 2023 Torch
The Monsta TORCH is a legend. So much so that they are hard to find in stock virtually anywhere. COVID and shipping issues have done a real number on the bat’s availability. The Monsta Torch hasn’t changed much over the last couple of years and any version you can find of it is usually just a new colorway of last year’s model. The 2020 Monsta TORCH is one of the favorite USA slowpitch bats ever, and any version subsequent to that is worth picking up if budget is of no concern nd you want the bat most think is the best USA slowpitch bat.
Certification: Slowpitch - ASA
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 25, 26, 27
Drop: 34
Serial Number: TORCCHMO22
Release Month:
Why We Love the 2023 Krecher
Talk to anyone who has used the Worth Krecher and it’s always the same: the bat is good. Huge barrel, balanced swing and pretty soft feel don’t the connection point does wonders for the expectations of every hit. Everything feels like a bomb, and most are. The bat is revered among the internet and is the best not Monsta ASA slowpitch bat for 2022/23.
Certification: Slowpitch - ASA
Barrel Size: 2 1/4
Sizes: 25, 26, 27
Drop: 34
Serial Number: WRH22A
Release Month:
We relied upon a number of sources to put together this best slowpitch softball bats article. We relied heavily on the justbats.com softball bat site. There, you can rank different bats by category and read some hosted reviews from what appear to be real buyers and players. We also spent time on Miken’s site directly as well as Easton and DeMarini’s slowpitch softball sites. Each were useful in terms of gathering the most up to date information on sizing and drops. We spent time on a few other review sites to see their rankings and reviews. We struggled to find one that had up-to-date information. It appeared to be more successful the more specific our searching was. For example, a search of “Best ASA Softball Bats for Power Hitters” or a “Best Home Run Derby Slowpitch Softball Bat” was more useful than the generic “Best Slowpitch Bat.” We should also not that there are different results by using the term “slow pitch” and “slowpitch”. On this site, we think our slowpitch softball review page was somewhat useful as well as our page on the Best USSSA Slowpitch Softball bat.
In our “Best Bat Articles” we often write a disclaimer admitting the best bat is often more hitter dependent than purely performance-based. In truth, standards—in the case of slowpitch, the imposed USSSA and NSA standards—level the playing field in terms of how hot bats can be and contribute to this principle. This means the best slowpitch softball bat for MOST may very well not be the very best slowpitch softball bat for you. That said, we think the following list of best slowpitch softball bats is as reliable as you can find. Deriving a list free of vendor and manufacturer bias, while considering real-world reviews and playing experience is our goal. In the end, we are hopeful the reader uses the below as evidence in support of pulling the trigger on their next bomb maker. Without further ado, the following comprises our best softball bat lists by category. These rankings, we are hopeful, will give you insight as to what softball bat is right for you.
After finding the best slow pitch softball bat, you might find yourself with more questions than you have answers. We put together the top 10 most common questions. Hopefully these softball bat answers will help in your quest too.
No. Aluminum does not require any sort of break in. In theory, in fact, you want to use your aluminum bats as little as possible because they get less hot over time. We once asked a bat engineer this question and their response was after “thousands and thousands of hits” it will start to loose its pop.
Some composite bats, like the ASA Miken Freak Platinum above, do not require a break in period. This is because they use a double barrel structure where the outside barrel is hot out of the wrapper. However, single wall composite bats often require at least 200 hits around the barrel to get worked in. Some bats require much, much more.
Composite is a more technical term for plastic. In other words, composite softball bats are made up of, generally, a plastic material. The fibers are structured so as to give the bat maximum durability and a barrel trampoline effect that fits within the standard.
BPF, or bat performance factor, is a measurement of how well a ball bounces off a bat. A higher number means more trampoline. 1.20 BPF is the maximum standard many softball bats can perform at. It does not imply the bat performs exactly at that standard, but instead, that it has been verified to perform at or below it.
Impedance matching is a complicated subject. But, in large measure, the reason the ASA vs USSSA standard is an unanswerable question is because the balls are different in each league. ASA bats are meant to perform to a certain standard on ASA balls. USSSA bats are designed to perform to a certain standard on USSSA Balls. The bounciness of both the ball and bat play off each other to create a maximum exit speed. This relationship is called impedance matching.
Single wall composite slow pitch softball bats usually require at least 200 well hit balls to start to coming into their own. Some claim that number is well over 500. Either way, you break it in by hitting the bat on regulation balls several times around different spots of the barrel. You can do this off a tee or in live batting practice. Check the product page of the bat you buy as some composite softball bats, like those with dual walls, sometimes do not need a break in.
Expensive is a relative term, no doubt. But few think that top end slowpitch bats are cheap. Indeed, at $300 most take serious research and resources to solve the riddle of the best slowpitch softball bat. In the end, the answer as to why they are so expensive is because people will pay that amount. They are, like all products in a free market, a function of supply and demand.
Bats with the most hype, and many on this list, range in price between $180 and $300. That is the general price of a good slowpitch bat directly from a manufacturer. That almost always includes a warranty price along with some customer service support.
There is no easy answer to this question. Depending on the durability of the bat some great bats can last for 2 to 3 years with considerable use. Others often don’t last a full season in terms of maximum pop. Composite bats can lose their pop before breaking, but in many instances, will break when their pop is gone. Aluminum is harder to determine as they rarely break, and just dent instead.
Shaving a bat is an illegal practice that removes the end cap of a bat and then uses a lathe to remove material from the inner walls. The end cap is then replaced and the bat looks perfectly normal. However, with thinner walls, the bat now produces a greater trampoline effect. Of course, this also voids the warranty, decreases the life of the bat considerably, and is, frankly, a bit of a punkmove.
The right bat size is often smaller than you think. Although we all want to pull the hammer down on every hit, bat speed matters as much as mass. So, it is common for a big hitter to drop down a weight or load to see the ball really fly. There is no trick here but practice and trial and error with your approach and swing.