The PING is gone from bats in the WIAC

(Editor's Note: Portions of the following story were recently published in the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch)

UW-Whitewater’s Prucha Field has carried the reputation of being a “launching pad” for home runs, especially when the wind was blowing out of the south or southwest. A matter of fact, the only spot in the U.S. that had more “missiles” launched was at the White Sands Missal Range in New Mexico.

One of the most noticeable aspects to watching the Warhawk baseball team sweep four games from UW-Superior on Prucha Field at James Miller Stadium over the weekend was the lack of the familiar “ping” sound when baseball met during the opening weekend of WIAC action.

On Sunday, a brisk (25 to 35 mph) south or southeasterly wind did not result in numerous “missiles” flying out of the park.

The reason why the “ping” is no longer heard? The NCAA has shifted to a new technology that makes aluminum bats behave more like their wooden counterparts.
"Under the old bats, there were guys that were able to get away with bad swings and still be good power players," University of Virginia baseball coach Brian O'Connor tells the Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch. "Now you've got to be more consistent."

According to the NCAA, with the old aluminum bats players were able to get away with bad swings and still be good power players, now you’ve got to be more consistent.
UW-Whitewater senior Jeff Donovan can talk about the impact of the new bats both as a pitcher and as a hitter.

“For a pitcher the new bats give you confidence to throw in the zone and pound strikes,” Donovan told voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “I think you’ll see a lot less walks as you are now able to focus on attacking the zone.”
As a hitter, Donovan says he can really tell the difference between the new bats compared to the old aluminum bats.

“You really notice the difference when bat meets ball. To get home run distance you must catch the ball on the bat’s sweet spot.”
Among the biggest changes will be quicker games, increased safety for spectators and fewer home runs.

Only one home run was hit by either team in the WIAC opening weekend games. Andrew Eichstaedt hit his first round-tripper as a Warhawk in game-one on Saturday. Meanwhile, three of the four UWW-UWS games were played in less than two hours.