A most delightful epiphany overtook Jed Bradley last September as he shagged flies with fellow pitchers during Georgia Tech's fall practice.
"Me and the other guys were sitting out there talking, and just the balls weren't going out as much as in the past," he said. "We'd hit 100 out in practice [in the past]. But not anymore."
Bradley stands to benefit from a significant NCAA rule change taking effect this season. Exceedingly springy composite bats are illegal. Bats must conform to specifications that approximate wood models.
Said Bradley, smiling, "I'm a big proponent of any re-engineering of metal bats."
Starting Friday with the opening of the season, college baseball will decide if it agrees with him. The game undoubtedly will shift from the "gorilla ball" style that was commonplace. Reliance on three-run homers and games that pushed 3 1/2 hours will be replaced by a renewed emphasis on defense and "small ball."
In the preseason, Tech coach Danny Hall worked plenty on bunting and defending the bunt. At Georgia, coach David Perno is stressing situational hitting and sound defense.
"I think you'll take a run here and there, as opposed to maybe holding out hope you're going to have a big inning somewhere because somebody is going to hit a home run," Hall said.
In terms of pop, the new bats are roughly similar to the metal-bat technology from the early 1980s, Perno said. Some Tech players even think their wooden bats hit better than the new metal bats. Georgia State coach Greg Frady has found that balls hit high in the air don't carry like they used to.
"You may see more of a running game come into play in college baseball and less of the power numbers," Kennesaw State coach Mike Sansing said.
The NCAA instituted the change after composite bats, which have a weave of carbon fibers, resin and glue inside the aluminum barrel, shot offensive numbers up in recent seasons. Further, hitters discovered the bats grew "hotter" with extended use. They became more flexible, increasing the trampoline effect.
Teams allegedly began using compressing machines to expedite the process, which the NCAA banned. The NCAA's new rules require bats to meet new standards measuring their potency.
Through fall and preseason practice, coaches and players have found balls will still travel if hitters connect on the sweet spot. That just happens less. In past years, Tech's sluggers could hit the ball out to all fields in batting practice.
Now, however, "you almost never see a ball go out of here to center," Hall said.
It isn't only home runs that should drop. Balls hit through the infield have less sting on them.
"Especially balls up the middle, to my right, it's a lot easier to get to," Tech second baseman Jacob Esch said. "They're not screaming through the infield like they used to."
The changes will speed up the game, as will new rules to reduce the time between innings and pitches. If fans (and players) miss the home runs, they'll at least appreciate shorter games.
Perno, who believes the composite bats had become dangerous, is for the change. He thinks the players will learn the bats and that the power drop won't be as great as feared.
"I do think, all in all, it's going to be better for college baseball," he said. "It just might take a transition period and a little getting used to."
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