Playing in cold weather is quite a popular topic that many people are interested in, especially in countries with cold climates. Accordingly, we received a lot of questions related to “Can I Use My Baseball Bat Or Softball Bat When It is Cold?” Let’s clarify them with us in the following article.
Can I Use My Baseball Bat Or Softball Bat When It is Cold?
Yes and No.
Baseball often tends to become more sturdy in cold weather. This will definitely have an effect on your bat. However, it also depends on which material your bat is, how cold it is and how often you use your bat in cold weather.
As you know, in cold temperatures, the balls tend to shrink and become denser. When in contact with the bat, this increases the impact force between the bat and the ball. The bad thing is that your bat can be dented or distorted.
For the above reason, you should not use bats made of aluminum, especially thin aluminum. Experts have pointed out that nearly all types of bats are affected by the cold unless they are made of wood. Because wood is not affected by temperature.
Thus, you can feel free to use a baseball bat or softball bat when it’s cold with a wooden bat. With other material, it is better for you to consider.
Bat and ball.
Are Alloy Or Composite Bats Better In The Cold?
Athletes refer that bats made of alloy, specifically aluminum, are generally more resistant to cold than bats made of composite.
However, this does not mean that if you use alloy bats in cold weather, there will be no problems. It just proves that the alloy bat will not be as easily damaged as the composite bat.
Heat makes baseballs or softballs much harder than normal. They cause tremendous drag. In worse cases, the composite bat may have cracks.
On the other hand, for alloy (aluminum) bats, the bat will be concave, even heavily curved, not cracked.
So there’s nothing good about using it in the cold.
Play baseball in cold weather
Can you use wood bats in cold weather?
Sure. It is the ideal choice for playing in cold weather.
Will I Damage My Bat If I Use It In Cold Weather?
Likely to happen.
Whether or not you destroy your bat in cold weather depends on many factors. It could be how cold the temperature is, how often you use it, how you use it, so on. However, as analyzed above, you still should not use the bat in cold weather to avoid bad effects.
Thus, in this case, bats with wood or aluminum bearing material will be a good choice.
At What Temperature Is It Too Cold To Use My Bat?
According to professional bat suppliers, the temperature that allows users to use their bats is ideally below 60 degrees F.
As we all know, baseballs become dense and hard when the temperature drops. This adversely affects the bat if you deliberately use it in cold weather. They will appear cracks, dents or curves. Your next job is to just let it go.
The temperatures above are for reference only, some brands like Easton recommend that you only avoid temperatures as low as 50 degrees F for their aluminum bat designs.
Do Bat Warmers Help?
Many people think that a bat warmer will save them all. It partly works to reduce the negative impact of temperature on your bat.
However, you need to remember that the cold ball is the culprit. Even if you have already invested in a heater for the bat, you will not be able to bring the ball back to normal temperature in cold weather.
What Are The Best Bats For Cold Weather?
Here are a few suggestions for you if you must use the bat in cold weather. It is for reference only, the choice of which one depends on your own preferences and judgments:
- Wilson: Sporting Goods Louisville Slugger 2018 Vapor
- Easton: SPEED -10 USA Youth Baseball Bat
- Marucci: CAT9 Composite USSSA Senior League Baseball Bat.
Conclusion
We have given a very specific analysis to the question “Can I Use My Baseball Bat Or Softball Bat When It is Cold?”. Hope you have a great time playing.