Softball Bat Types

Softball bats are generally a matter of personal preference, with comfort and performance the primary factors in selection. As technology has improved over the years, softball has evolved from a wood-bat world into a world where composite materials are weaved together to create an ultimate ball-striking machine. All of the major bat manufacturers compete in the different non-wood bat markets, while a few still continue to produce wood bats for softball purists.

  1. Single-Wall Aluminum Bats

    • Single-wall aluminum bats are the original type of non-wood softball bat. Because thinner sheets of aluminum alloy provide a better trampoline effect, the thinner the aluminum, the better the performance of the bat. Single wall bats are the most economical bat, but typically they are heavier and less effective. The only way to increase performance is to go with thinner sheets of metal, and that only works to the point where denting begins to occur.

    Double-Wall Aluminum Bats

    • Double-wall aluminum bats were brought to market by DeMarini in 1996. To balance the benefits of thinner aluminum with the durability of the bat, which suffered when single-wall bats were made with material that was too thin, double-wall bats are made with two thin aluminum tubes inside of each other.

    Composite

    • Composite bats are made out of a combination of graphite and glass fiber. It makes for a bat that is much lighter than an aluminum bat, leading to an increase in bat speed for hitters. Composites are the lightest bats on the market. Because of the way they are made, there is greater flexibility in the way the materials can be combined to increase the trampoline effect and improve bat performance.

    Wood

    • Though you see them rarely, wood bats are still available. Easton, Louisville Slugger and Rawlings are among the manufacturers still making wood softball bats.