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NCAA Baseball Bats

Updated July 3, 2023

By Brian Duryea | @BatDigest

NCAA Baseball Bats

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Over the years, we’ve tracked the bat usage of NCAA baseball and fastpitch teams. Our results are below.

Sponsorship Bat Deals

Many college-level programs have agreements with major sports brands for access to equipment. Usually, the players are not required to swing and use a specific brand, but they are highly encouraged by getting free gear and access to the manufacturer’s lineup. As such, you’ll see many colleges swinging the same brand.

In short, please take these outcomes with a grain of salt. These are often as much marketing plays by manufacturers as they are a commentary on the bat’s effectiveness.

What We Cover

NCAA Baseball Bats

There are many ways to slice and dice the data of the CWS baseball bat usage. Ultimately, it’s probably best for us to give access to the data and do with it what you will. If you use the data, please reference and link to this page. We will give you our hot takes on the data below, but there are many ways to look at it.

2023 NCAA Bat Usage By Model

One way to consider bat usage is to see the model most often used among the 144 at-bats of the 16 teams that made the super regionals. Of course, this suffers from sponsorship bias as many of these schools are required to hit with certain brands. In any case, the bat usage is as follows.

  1. 2022 DeMarini The Goods (14)
  2. 2023 Slugger Select PWR (10)
  3. 2023 Easton Black Magic (9)
  4. 2021 Easton B5 (8)
  5. 2022 Slugger Select PWR (8)
  6. 2023 Marucci Cat X Connect (7)
  7. 2023 Slugger Atlas (7)
  8. 2024 DeMarini Voodoo One (7)
  9. 2022 DeMarini The Goods One (7)

Does this make The Goods the best BBCOR bat? Not categorically, but it certainly doesn’t mean nothing (sic).

NCAA Bat Usage By Brand

You can also see the market share. But, take extreme caution here. Most teams are sponsored, so this is more a comment on marketing than on player preferences.

  1. DeMarini – 45 (31.25%)
  2. Louisville Slugger – 42 (29.17%)
  3. Easton – 37 (25.69%)
  4. Marucci – 10 (6.94%)
  5. Rawlings – 9 (6.25%)
  6. Wood/TAT2 – 1 (0.69%)

Championship Game Matchup

We also tracked the championship game. These bats were a bit different than these folks used in the Super Regionals, but about the same. In any case, it’s fun to see the bat’s that made the big dance.

The Marucci CAT X Connect is the bat that is almost 100% of the LSU lineup. Jordan Thompson swings the 2018 Posey28 Pro Metal (a metal bat that looks like wood).

Florida, a DeMarini school, has some weird symmetry with the first five hitters with The Goods and the final three with a single-piece alloy.

2023 Oregon Ducks

We’ve tracked NCAA bat usage for a long time and have never seen a wood bat used in the Super Regionals. But Rikuu Nishida used one in his first at-bat versus Oral Roberts. Note: That was not the color he used— he used a green/black one, but the idea is the same. It’s a clear disadvantage to using a wood bat as swing weight and barrel size will never be able to match what you can do in alloy and composite, hence the reason no one else does it. But mad respect for Rikuu for getting it done.

  1. Rikuu Nishida, RF, L, 2023, TAT2, TAT2
  2. Bryce Boettcher, CF, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods
  3. Drew Cowley, SS, L, 2021, DeMarini, The Goods One
  4. Sabin Cabellos, 3B, R, 2023, Louisville Slugger, Atlas
  5. Tanner Smith, LF, L, 2020, Louisville Slugger, Select PWR
  6. Drew Smith, DH, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods One
  7. Jacob Walsh, 1B, L, 2022, Stinger, Guardian
  8. Bennett Thompson, C, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods One
  9. Gavin Grant, 2B, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods

 

2023 South Carolina Gamecocks


South Carolina appears to be one of the few teams that does not have a bat sponsorship. It is fun, therefore, to see what bats they choose. There’s a good selection here, and the Voodoo One in 2024 is an interesting find, too. That means they at least have access to DeMarini, although the rest of the team isn’t ‘required’ to swing them. Who knows. In any case, we love the Maxum on this list too.

  1. Braylen Wimmer, SS, R, 2023, Louisville Slugger, Select PWR
  2. Ehtan Petry, RF, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods One
  3. Cole Messina, C, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods
  4. Talmadge Lecroy, 3B, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods
  5. Gavin Casas, 1B, L, 2021, DeMarini, The Goods
  6. Michael Braswell, 2B, R, 2024, DeMarini, Voodoo One
  7. Dylan Brewer, LF, L, 2024, DeMarini, Voodoo One
  8. Will Tippett, CF, S, 2024, DeMarini, Voodoo One

2023 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles appear to be an Easton school. Dustin Dickerson also has one of the oldest bats in the 2023 Super Regionals: the 2014 Easton XL1. The other notable expectations are the Maxum and the Fuze 360. Both are great bats, with some play from the middle of the lineup.

  1. Matthew Etzel – 2023 Easton Black Magic
  2. Dustin Dickerson – 2014 Eatson XL3
  3. Slade Wilks – 2022 Easton B5
  4. Christopher Sargent – 2023 Easton Black Magic
  5. Tate Parker – 2020 Easton Fuze Hybrid 360
  6. Danny Lynch – 2022 Easton Maxum
  7. Nick Monistere – 2023 Easton Black Magic
  8. Carson Paetow – 2023 Easton Black Magic
  9. Rodrigo Montenegro – 2023 Easton Black Magic

2023 Indiana State Sycamores

Indiana State, one of the few non-P5 teams to make the super regionals for 2023, has a great assortment of DeMarini’s with a couple of Sluggers in the mix. In terms of color appeal, the graphic looks great. Seeing a few of the older (2020) The Goods in there at 1, 3, and 6 is fun, too.

  1. Randal Diaz – SS – R – 2020 – DeMarini The Goods
  2. Josue Urdaneta – 2B – S – 2021 – DeMarini The Goods One
  3. Luis Hernandez – DH – R – 2020 – DeMarini The Goods
  4. Adam Pottinger – LF – L – 2021 – DeMarini The Goods
  5. Keegan Watson – RF – R – 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  6. Mike Sears – 3B – R – 2020 – DeMarini The Goods
  7. Miguel Rivera – 1B – L – 2021 – Louisville Slugger Solo
  8. Grant Magill – C – R – 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  9. Seth Gergely – CF – L – 2023 – Louisville Slugger Select PWR

2023 TCU Horn Frogs


Always exciting to see what TCU is swinging ad they are a marquee team for the biggest brand in the business (TCU). If anyone will get some early bat access, it is these guys (especially considering Vanderbilt is out). In any case, it’s fun to see the 2024 DeMarini Voodoo One rear its head. TCU has a real chance to go deep.

  1. Elijan Nunez, CF, L, 2024, DeMarini, Voodoo One
  2. Karson Bowen, C, R, 2021, DeMarini, Voodoo One
  3. Brayden Taylor, 3B, L, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods One
  4. Cole Fontenelle, 1B, S, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods
  5. Tre Richardson, 2B, R, 2024, DeMarini, Voodoo One
  6. Kurtis Byrne, DH, R, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods One
  7. Anthony Silva, SS, R, 2024, DeMarini, Voodoo One
  8. Luke Boyers, LF, S, 2022, DeMarini, The Goods One
  9. Austin Davis, RF, R, 2023, DeMarini, Voodoo One

2023 Virginia Cavaliers


Virginia is a Rawlings school, if you couldn’t tell. We always like to see bat companies drop in some new sticks for their elite players to use. Here you can see Ehtan O’Donnell with the new Clout AI in BBCOr and Henry Godbout with the new Mach AI. We haven’t seen these in any stores, so we believe these to be in the pre-release stage. Although we don’t know, our guess is that the Clout replaces the Velo in our minds while the Mach AI replaces the 5150. But, we won’ know more until Rawlings releases more information.

  1. Griff O’Ferrall, SS, R, 2023, Rawlings, 5150
  2. Ethan O’Donnell, CF, L, 2023, Rawlings, Clout AI
  3. Jake Gelof, 3B, R, 2018, Rawlings, Quatro
  4. Kyle Teel, C, L, 2023, Rawlings, 5150
  5. Ethan Anderson, 1B, B, 2023, Rawlings, 5150
  6. Casey Saucke, RF, R, 2023, Rawlings, 5150
  7. Anthony Stephan, DH, L, 2023, Rawlings, 5150
  8. Henry Godbout, 2B, R, 2023, Rawlings, Mach AI
  9. Colin Tuft, LF, R, 2021, Rawlings, 5150

2023 Duke Blue Devils

Duke looks to have some liberty on what bat they use, most using a Wilson umbrella-type bat (DeMarini/Slugger). But the Marucci CAT X looks great in that almost all-Wilson line up.

  1. Alex Mooney (SS, R, 2023, DeMarini Voodoo One)
  2. Andrew Fischer (3B, L, 2023, DeMarini Voodoo One)
  3. Jay Beshears (2B, R, 2022, DeMarini The Goods)
  4. Alex Stone (C, R, 2022, DeMarini The Goods)
  5. MJ Metz (DH, R, 2023, Louisville Slugger Atlas)
  6. Giovanni Digiacomo (CF, L, 2023, DeMarini Voodoo One)
  7. Tyler Albright (LF, R, 2023, DeMarini Voodoo One)
  8. Luke Storm (1B, S, 2023, Louisville Slugger Atlas)
  9. Damon Lux (RF, R, 2023, Marucci CAT X)

2023 Texas A&M Bats

Every once in a while you’ll come across a team like this where every bat is the same. It’s like they know something the rest of us don’t…

  1. Hunter Haas, SS, R, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  2. Jack Moss, 1B, L, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  3. Trevor Werner, 3B, R, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  4. Jace Laviolette, RF, L, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  5. Jordan Thompson, CF, R, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  6. Ryan Targac, LF, S, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  7. Austin Bost, 2B, R, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  8. Brett Minnich, DH, L, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods
  9. Max Kaufer, C, R, 2022 – DeMarini The Goods

2023 Stanford Bats

The 2023 Stanford Cardinals baseball team has a strong lineup of players, each with their preferred bat. Below is a list of the players and their preferred bat usage for the season:

Stanford Lineup

  1. Eddie Park, LF, L, 2023 – Louisville Slugger Atlas
  2. Tommy Troy, 3B, R, 2021 – Louisville Slugger Omaha
  3. Carter Graham, 1B, R, 2020 – Louisville Slugger Omaha
  4. Braden Montgomery, RF, 2021 – Louisville Slugger Omaha
  5. Drew Bowser, 2B, R, 2023 – Louisville Slugger Atlas
  6. Malcolm Moore, DH, 2018 – Louisville Slugger 518 Omaha
  7. Saborn Campbell, CF, 2021 – Louisville Slugger Omaha
  8. Charlie Saum, C, 2021 – Louisville Slugger Omaha
  9. Owen Cobb, SS, 2022 – Louisville Slugger Select PWR

Louisville Slugger is a popular choice among the team, with the Omaha and Atlas models used the most frequently.

2023 Arkansas Bats

Arkansans, apparently, can use any bat brand. So, it’s fun to look. Two hybrids (the Marucci CAT X Connect and the Select PWR) and seven single-piece alloys exist in the lineup. Of note, the least popular single piece (according to the internet), The Solo from Slugger, is the most popular among one of the best teams in the business. Things that make you go hmmm…

Arkansas Lineup

  1. Kendall Diggs RF R 2022 DeMarini Voodoo One
  2. Jace Bohrofen CF L 2023 Marucci CAT X
  3. B. McLaughlin DH L 2022 Louisville Slugger Solo
  4. Brady Slavens 1B L 2022 Louisville Slugger Solo
  5. C. Cali 3B 2023 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
  6. Mason Neville LF 2023 Marucci CAT X Connect
  7. P. Holt 2B 2022 Louisville Slugger Solo
  8. Parker Rowland C L 2023 DeMarini Voodoo One
  9. John Bolton SS R 2023 DeMarini Voodoo One

2023 Wake Forest Bats

Slugger dominates the lineup of Wake Forest. That is likely due to a contract, although the bats are plenty good. Lots of 2023 Select PWRs as well as some throwback 517 Omahas.

Wake Forest Lineup

  1. Wake Forest, Tommy Hawke, CF, L, 2017, Louisivlle Slugger, Omaha 517
  2. Wake Forest, Lucas Costello, LF, R, 2023, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR
  3. Wake Forest, Brock Wilken, 3B, R, 2023, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR
  4. Wake Forest, Pierce Bennett, RF, R, 2023, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR
  5. Wake Forest, Justin Johnson, 2B, R, 2023, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR
  6. Wake Forest, Jake Reinisch, DH, L, 2020, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR
  7. Wake Forest, Danny Corona, 1B, L, 2021, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR
  8. Wake Forest, Gio Cueto, CF, R, 2017, Louisivlle Slugger, Omaha 517
  9. Wake Forest, Marek Houton, SS, R, 2023, Louisivlle Slugger, Select PWR

2023 LSU BBCOR Bats

LSU is a Marucci School. Their lineup looks like this:

  1. Gavin Dugas – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect
  2. Tre’ Morgan – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect
  3. Dylan Crews – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect
  4. Tommy White – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect
  5. Cade Beloso – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect
  6. Jordan Thompson – 2023 Victus Nox
  7. Brady Neal – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect
  8. Paxton Kling – 2023 Marucci CATX
  9. Brayden Jobert – 2023 Marucci CATX Connect

The CAT X Connect is a heavy swinging bat made for big hitters, so it’s no surprise these bats are all over the place in the #1 ranked Tiger’s offense. The CAT X is a light-swinging bat, so it’s a bit surprising that Paxton Kling likes it so, but he’s a great hitter, so don’t fix what is not broken.

We don’t see our favorite bat in the lineup (the 2023 Marucci CAT X Composite). That’s because bigger hitters don’t like the light swing and smooth smash of the Composite. However, younger hitters in BBCOR do.

2023 Tennessee Vols

    1. Maui Ahuna – 2022 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    2. Christian Moore – 2022 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    3. Blake Burke – 2021 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    4. Zane Denton – 2023 Louisville Slugger Atlas
    5. Jared Dickey – 2021 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    6. Griffin Merritt – 2021 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    7. Dylan Dreiling – 2022 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    8. Kavares Tears – 2022 Louisville Slugger Select PWR
    9. Charlie Taylor – 2023 Louisville Slugger Atlas

    The Tennessee Vols for 2023 is a Slugger school. As expected, the swing heavier alloy barrel bats. Most (7/9) prefer a two-piece hybrid with an endload in the Select PWR series. Surprisingly, the big hitter Zen Denton uses a lighter swinging single-piece alloy (as does the 9-hole hitter).

Updated July 3, 2023

July 3, 2023

By Brian Duryea | @BatDigest

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