Madison Little League Mandates Use Of Wooden Bats For Players In Boys Majors Division

As Major League Baseball season springs into action, signs of warm weather sports are slowly cropping up closer to home. Soon, the familiar sounds of dramatic strike calls, and feverish cheers of sideline parents will be heard across little league fields in Madison.

However, instead of the high pitched ting of a metal bat sending the ball far and wide, some players will hear the distinctive crack of wood hitting hard against the ball.  For the upcoming 2011 spring season,  Madison Little League  has mandated the use of wooden bats for players in the Boys Majors division.   Scott Murphy, president of Madison Little League, attributes the change in policy to the well being of the players. 

“Bottom line, we are doing this for safety reasons.  Given the significant change in bats over the years, we have noticed an increase in incidents, and want to do everything we can to protect our players in Madison," he said.

Composite bats banned, wood and aluminum/alloy bats allowed by Little League International

In December 2010, Little League International issued a moratorium on the use of composite bats in all divisions including Boys Majors. However, the use of wood and aluminum metal/alloy bats are not affected by this motion.

The issue of non-wood vs. wood bats is a decision that is made at the local level and it has been an ongoing topic of discussion at the local level as well.  According to Murphy,  “After many league-wide discussions and research, we are following a growing trend across Little League to move in the direction of wood bats.  We feel that this change, especially at the Majors level, will decrease the potential for incidents.”

When asked if other divisions will be affected by the mandate, Murphy said, “At this point, we are only implementing for Boys Majors this season and will evaluate the need for additional leagues down the road.” 

Sixth graders predict change will shift game, but say change is for the best

Recently, evaluations were held for Boys Majors, and I had a chance to ask players how they felt about using wood bats.

Brown School 6th grader C.J. Licari said "The new wood bat rule will definitely make games quicker and bring less lopsided scores to our league.  I also think that this rule will show contact hitters versus power hitters.  That means that there will be a large decline in home runs.  However, I feel the downside of the new rule is that the game will appear harder and less exciting for people who have equal interest for baseball and other sports.  All in all, I think the new wood bat rule will have a positive effect on the league.” 

Tim Rotermund, also a 6th grader at Brown said, “I think the wood bats are much heavier than metal and they are going to take a little getting used to.  But when you hit it right, it shoots off pretty well.”

Safety commissioner in favor of change

Madison Little League Safety commissioner Tom Lauher also echoed the positive effects wood bats would have on the game.

“In my opinion, the use of wood bats will facilitate skills development and improve the competitiveness of the League," Lauher said. "And although the switch to wood bats wasn't compelled by any on-field incidents, we feel there will be fewer near-misses from batted balls following implementation of this change."

Madison enjoys one of the largest Little League enrollments in Connecticut, and every year the town celebrates opening day with much fanfare. Each Little League division participates in a lively parade through downtown Madison to kick off the start of the season. The march ends at Jaycee Main Field on Scotland Avenue with the official opening day ceremony.

This year’s event will include great food, raffle prizes from local businesses, and the fabulous sounds of the Shoreline Connection band (www.theshorelineconnection.com), while the younger set can try out their pitching arm with a pitch speed machine. This year’s opening day festivities take place on Saturday, April 30 beginning at 11 a.m. in downtown Madison.