Why does college baseball use metal bats? Aluminum bats are more cost-efficient for schools
The crack of a ball hitting off a wooden bat and echoing throughout a stadium is central to the ethos and mythology of baseball, the kind of sound that conjures images and memories of picturesque summer nights at a ballpark.
At the college level, that soothing soundtrack of the sport is infused with a little more metal — literally.
Unlike their professional counterparts, the overwhelming majority of college baseball players don’t use wooden bats, instead carrying metal ones when they step into the on-deck circle and batter’s box. Whenever contact is made with the ball in an NCAA game, that famous and eternally gratifying crack is replaced with something closer to a sharp ping.
For a casual viewer tuning into college baseball for the first time this season as the chase for an NCAA championship winds down, it can be a bit jarring.
This week, eight teams will arrive in Omaha, Nebraska for the 2025 College World Series, where jello shots will be consumed at an alarming rate, weather delays will inevitably occur and, yes, the pings of metal bats will reverberate around Charles Schwab Field as thousands of fans hoping to see their team advance look on, living and dying with every pitch.
While metal bats have become synonymous with college baseball and differentiated it from the major and minor leagues, why are they used instead of wood?
Here’s a closer look at why college baseball has metal bats, along with their history in the sport and NCAA rules regulating their use:
Why does college baseball use metal bats?
A frequently asked question has a relatively straightforward answer — it’s cheaper.
While college baseball is one of the most popular sports at many universities — including at some, many of which are in the SEC, that dump significant resources into their programs — it typically doesn’t bring in close to the same revenue as football and even men’s basketball programs at most schools. Because of that, colleges often look to save money and cut expenses where they can.
Which brings us to bats.
Though metal bats generally have a higher initial purchase price than wooden bats, they’re far more durable. They’re subject to wear and tear over time and have to eventually be replaced, but there’s not the same threat with every pitch like there is with a wooden bat that it will break or splinter if the ball strikes the bat in the right spot (or, on rare occasions, when a player snaps it over his leg in frustration).
Because of that durability, a college baseball player can go through his entire career using a single bat and schools don’t have to spend nearly as much money replacing bats.
The bats pose advantages for more than just athletic departments looking to save on equipment costs.
The ball travels farther and faster off an aluminum bat, helping give players a little extra oomph at the plate. The metal bats have been found to have a larger sweet spot than their wooden counterparts. A ball hit near the handle of a wooden bat, which could break the bat or lead to an easy out, can be a hit with a metal bat. A player could choose to use a wooden bat to better prepare themselves for the major and minor leagues, but doing so could also make their stats less gaudy compared to the rest of their college peers – the overwhelming majority of whom use metal bats – and potentially devalue them as professional prospects.
Has college baseball ever used wooden bats?
It has.
Wooden bats were once common in college baseball, but in 1974, as a way to increase offense and address cost concerns, a widespread switch to metal bats was made.
Though wooden bats are rare in modern college baseball, they’re still occasionally seen. In 2023, Oregon infielder Rikuu Nishida used a wooden bat in what would be his only season with the Ducks. He performed well with it, too, batting .312 with five home runs and 37 RBIs while starting all 63 of his team’s games. After the season, he was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
NCAA rules on bats
Like its predecessors, the NCAA baseball rule book for the 2025 and 2026 seasons has a section addressing wooden and non-wooden bats and the parameters they must meet in order to be used for competition.
The specifications for non-wooden bats are:
- 1) The entire hitting area of the bat must be round with a constant radius at any point and the finish of the hitting area must be smooth.
- 2) There must be a direct line from the center of the knob to the center of the large end.
- 3) The maximum length is 36 inches and the maximum diameter is 2 ⅝ inches.
- 4) The knob and end plug (if applicable) must be firmly attached.
- 5) A bat may not weigh, numerically, more than three units less than the length of the bat (e.g., a 34-inch-long bat cannot weigh less than 31 ounces).
- 6) A non-wood bat must have an approved, coded certification mark on the barrel of the bat signifying the bat is legal for NCAA competition.
- 7) The bat barrel color must be of a predominantly contrasting color to the color of the baseball between the 18-inch mark to the end cap