![Game, set, and match. Corbin Atchley, sophomore, high fives Sanam Sidhu, freshman, after a rally with other club members. “I just joined [the club],” Sidhu said. “[I heard about it] on Instagram, they always post about it, I’ve been wanting to come. My parents used to play [net sports] too and they taught us, and then I learned from my brother.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MG_7715-2-1200x800.jpg)
![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
![The teams prepare to start another play with just a few minutes left in the first half. The Lions were in the lead at halftime with a score of 27-0. At half time, the team went back to the locker rooms. “[We ate] orange slices,” Malos said. “[Then] our team came out and got the win.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_2385-1200x800.jpg)
Spring is all about change. As the baseball team launches its season, a new change in bat regulations has been instituted. Contrary to previous beliefs, the use of only aluminum bats with the Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution seal or wooden bats has not affected the Lions’ offense like it has in college baseball. The use of these bats was made mandatory by the National Collegiate Athletic Association last year and is now a requirement for all high school teams for the 2012 season.
The BBCOR technology in these bats is what makes them less lively than the aluminum models used in the past and are said to perform more like a wooden bat because of the loss in energy after the ball hits the bat. The result, already seen in the NCAA, has been less home runs and lower hitting percentages. According to Jordan Porter, senior, the institution of BBCOR bats does not seem like it is going to be a loss of success for the team this year.
“There will be less home runs but our team will consistently hit line drives and find holes in the outfield so I don’t think it will affect our offense terribly,” Porter said. “Our team tends to hit a lot of line drives so it shouldn’t be much different from last season and an advantage over other teams.”
On the other hand, baseball will become more of a pitching game, or “pitching duel” according to Porter.
“Other teams will have a harder time hitting and it will turn out to be more of a small ball game. I’m not happy about the replacement for high school but I am for college. I think high school players should still leave pop on the bat because unlike college, where chance of injury is more likely because people are hitter harder, the chance of injury in high school is not as likely because people aren’t hitting as hard,” Porter explained.
“For me it’s only taking 15 to 20 feet off of what I’ve been hitting so home runs will still go out and line drives will drop faster. BBCOR bats compare to wooden bats because of a smaller sweet spot on the barrel,” Porter said.