Tag Archives: 2013

Know the Louisville Slugger TPX Omaha With This Review

Review of the Louisville Omaha baseball bat, that’s had a dominant presence since it was introduction in 1998. It has been the one consistent presence in the Louisville line-up during this time. One of the selling points is that there is nothing fancy about this bat. It is still is a one-piece bat made with the older ST+20 alloy, a stiff handle and a balanced design. Louisville is now claiming it “features the lowest swing weight bat on the market.” Interesting since they are making the same claim about the Exogrid 3. The folks at Louisville need to provide some detail here or it comes across as pure hype.

It is absolutely my choice for anyone interested in a 100% alloy, one-piece bat with a stiff handle. Need some incentive? Many college baseball swing the Omaha, a less expensive bat, than the other Louisville models. So don’t be fooled by the lower price and 100% alloy material. Available in Adult, Senior and Youth models. The Adult-3 model retails for $199.

Learn What’s New With the 2013 Rawlings Baseball Bats.

Here are reviews of the 2013 lineup of Rawlings youth and BBCOR baseball bats, including the Plasma, Velo, 5150 and Machine. Does Rawlings have a man crush on Louiville and are trying to emulate them because of  this? Read on…

Rawlings has come a long way to make itself credible over the last few years. This is primarily due to the University of South Carolina baseball team winning back to back college world series titles with their bats. Guess I can no longer refer to them as the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball bats. They actually are getting some respect!

They are owned by K2 (the ski company) that also owns the Worth brand. So I’m sure a lot of the technology is shared between their baseball bats.

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What’s New With the 2013 Louisville Slugger TPX Exogrid 3?

The Exogrid has been Louisville’s best selling bat for the last six years, and in 2013 they have introduced the Exogrid 3. It is a hybrid baseball bat that uses an internal carbon composite sleeve in the handle. That LS-2X composite sleeve makes the bat lighter and makes the handle extremely stiff. That’s saying a lot for Louisville who prides itself on stiff handles and has never made a flex handle model. The majority of the bat is made with their AC21 alloy which was introduced in the 2012 model along with the LS-2X composite sleeve.

For all intense and purposes it is the exact same design they’ve used since it was introduced. The change for 2013 is that they’re now claiming it has the “lowest swing weight available” for a 2 5/8″ barrel BBCOR model. They say this is due to “composite flex band technology” that uses thinner high strength and lightweight graphite fibers, adding more layers to the barrel for added strength while reducing the overall thickness of the barrel wall.

It had always been promoted as a balanced bat in the past, so this change is significant. The best indication of how it is received is to see the number of college players using it. As said, it is the preferred bat of college players on teams swinging Louisville. If this changes they’re not accepting this technology.

It has always been a great choice for both power and singles hitters and is a bat I recommend. It is available in Adult BBCOR, Senior and Youth models. The BBCOR model retails for $299.

Here’s are the specifications of the Exogrid 3:

  • The heart of the ExoGrid 3 is the carbon sleeve, which provides greater handle stiffness than aluminum alone ever could
  • Metal is trimmed in a grid pattern, then replaced with carbon composite inserts that are several times stronger and lighter than the metal they replace
  • ExoGrid Bi/Fusion process uses a combination of heat and extreme pressure to bond the carbon sleeve, carbon inserts and metal wall to function as one single unit
  • Using thinner high-strength and lightweight graphite fibers, Louisville is able to add more layers to the composite for added strength while reducing the overall thickness of the barrel wall, meaning more pop and less weight
  • Rather than thicken the walls to bring them in line with BBCOR standard, Louisville inserts a 1″ wide graphite band
  • This graphite band gives the bat the lowest swing weight available for a 2 5/8″ BBCOR barrel, and it’s small enough that the sweet spot feels just like your old BESR bat
  • LS-2X composite /AC21 alloy hybrid
  • 31/32″ tapered handle
  • Synthetic grip
  • 2-Color end cap

Slide over here to view all of the 2013 Louisville baseball bats.

Here are Our 2013 Louisville Slugger Bats and Reviews

The Louisville name is synonymous with baseball bats and in reviews it’s impossible to separate them. Unfortunately they’ve been fighting an uphill battle in the industry to regain the top spot in the industry. The problem has been in the 100% composite category where they have failed to manufacture a bat that has caught on. Last year they took a step in the right direction with the Z-1000 composite. It has received much more acceptance and you’ll actually see college players using it. They’re hopeful it will become a staple in their line-up with the long running Omaha and Exogrid.

No surprise that Louisville is sticking to a one-piece stiff handle design for their 2013 line-up. They finally got the message last year and returned to the design that has defined and what people expect from them. All bats listed below are BBCOR Certified for high school and collegiate ball or approved for play in Little League, Babe Ruth, Dixie, Pony, AA Continue reading →

2012 Little League World Series (LLWS) Baseball Bats

Many have been watching the 2012 Little League World Series and have been wondering what bat models are being used. Here’s a brief explanation as to what is going on.

First you need to know Easton is the Official Team Equipment Supplier at the 2012 LLWS, hence you’re seeing Easton being used almost exclusively. They’re having every player experience their HIT LAB which, they claim, features an interactive batting system that uses swing “analytics” to custom fit players’ swings to the “correct” model. Participants will receive feedback and statistics based on their swing, helping them choose the right bat for unique swing characteristics. This is the same technology Easton utilizes for their NCAA Division I teams. Since this is the first time Easton’s new Power Brigade will be swung in the LLWS they are pushing each player to either the S1 or XL1 model with the HIT LAB. So these are just about the only models you’ll see being used. The 1’s are their 100% composite bats.

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2013 Youth and BBCOR Baseball Bats

There are going to be few 2013 Youth and BBCOR baseball bats on the market during the normal spring release season. The main reason is due to the BBCOR standard being implemented in 2012. The manufactures had to scramble to get their bats compliant and, hence, had to offer new 2012 models in the middle of the year.  It didn’t make sense to come out with another model a few months later. Most will get their 2013 models on shelves in late summer early fall. Here are the few exc

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