Maple bats are known for their strength, durability and pop. Many companies are making maple bats now and selecting the right company is a daunting task. X Bat have made and sold more maple bats than anyone in the business, period. We may not have all the answers but by now we understand the questions. We are the most expensive bat because we are the only company that uses Major League quality wood for every bat we make for every player. We don’t have 11 grades of wood like the giant company. We don’t make one quality for the pros and another for the rest of the customers. Maple bat makers find they can make and sell maple bats rather easily. Unfortunately, they soon find that only 55-60% of the maple billets they have will make a usable bat. The more bats they sell, the larger the pile of unusable (heavy) wood becomes. How do they deal with this and stay in business? They dry the wood to 5% or less moisture content to increase their yield of usable wood and/or they make the barrels smaller for their non-pro players to use up the heavy wood. Since maple is a stiffer wood than ash, it becomes brittle and explodes on contact when over dried. Few adult players want Little League sized barrels. If a maple bat manufacturer is selling maple bats at a cheaper price than the market, this is why. X Bat has found that maple is strongest for use as baseball bats at 10-12% moisture content. At 12%, the yield would be less than 30% and impractical for making many bats. At 8-10% moisture, the maple is strong and has pop. The problem is still 40% waste. This is why X Bat cost more than other maple bats. You’re not buying the waste that other companies must sell to stay in business. We are number one for a reason and 85% of the bats we sell are maple.

Choose a maple bat if you want durability and performance. Maple out performs ash by 15-20% and outlasts it 3 to 1.
 

Until about 7 years ago, ash was the wood of choice for wood baseball bats in the modern era. It is light, strong and widely available. Bat makers love it because it is easy to work with, has virtually no waste and can be made with big barrels. The drawback to ash is performance and durability. A pro player gets 1-2 days of batting practice out of an ash bat. The grain separates and cups like a wood floor that has gotten wet. This is why you see players with tape on the barrels of their ash bats. It is a more flexible wood than maple and some players like the feel. It comes in a wide variety of qualities so beware of what you are buying. The largest wood bat company makes 11 different grades of ash with the top Major League players getting the first three grades. You’ll be buying grades 9-11 if you purchase in a sporting goods store. That’s why they are cheap. X Bat uses the finest quality northern white ash. We only use the top grade and players who choose ash over maple find X Bat ash bats are more consistent than other ash bats on the market.
 

Most coaches prefer the feel of a wood fungo bat. The X Bat pro maple fungo is a vast improvement over traditional ash and aluminum fungo bats. We have two Hall of Fame coaches in their 80s who have told us in Spring Training that they can hit our balls with our fungo bats for hours because the bat does the work. Light aluminum and light ash fungo bats require a lot of energy to swing. Hitting hundreds of balls can drain a coach of his effectiveness and reduce the time needed to do drills properly. X Bat maple fungo bats almost swing themselves. They require the coach to just "drop the head” and the balls just fly off the hard maple. We make them in all teams colors and will inscribe the coach’s name and school or team on each bat. Once you swing an X Bat maple fungo bat, you’ll never swing anything else. We recommend 34 inch for infield fungoes and ground balls, 36 inch for outfield fungoes and fly balls and 35 inch for a good all-purpose fungo.
 

X Bat makes maple wood bats for younger players from ages 3 to 14 in lengths from 24 inches up to 31 inches using the same quality wood and finish as the bats we make for our pros. With a selection of 7 youth models, X Bat is the only place to get a quality wood bat that truly fits every youth players’ game. We strongly believe that players should start to swing wood bats as soon as they begin playing baseball. It strengthens their hands, wrists, forearms and teaches them a more compact swing with a more direct path to the ball. Swinging a wood bat that is heavier than the aluminum bats they are used to, improves their hand eye coordination and requires them to be more precise due to a sweet sport 1/8 the size of an aluminum bat. The weighting of a wood bat is different from an aluminum bat as well, forcing the player to “keep his hands inside the ball” and snap the barrel into the hitting zone. Serious youth players are taught to swing wood from an early age as more and more tournaments are being held using only wood bats.

X Bat maple wood youth bats are available in a variety of sizes, weights and configurations with handle sizes from 7/8” to 1” and 7 shapes to choose from.

The Model 73 youth bat is our most popular choice. The extra weight in the knob serves as a counterbalance making the bat easier to swing. The knob makes choking up more comfortable and allows the player to truly build a bat that fits their size, strength, experience and league.

The Model 98 has a longer barrel with more hitting surface than most youth wood bats. It is similar in shape to aluminum bats so the player feels more comfortable with the hitting area.

Model 6 is a traditional bat for a very young player aged 3-6. It has a long handle transitioning with a quick taper to a 2 1/4” barrel. It has a 7/8" handle and a small knob. To make it as light as possible, it is made of ash and is light enough for very young players to swing. Model 6 is priced at $55.00.

The Model 8 has a thinner handle at 7/8” and a traditional wood bat profile for smaller hands.

The Model 10 has a 15/16” handle similar to aluminum bats are suitable to players whose hands are slightly bigger.

The Model 12 has a 1” handle for players who want to control the bat more. The Model 12 is a very sturdy bat for players facing faster pitching.

The Model 8, 10, 12, 98 and 73 all have a 2 1/4” barrel so they are legal for game use in Little League and are priced at $75.00.

The Model 73BB and 98BB are larger barreled youth bats available in weight ranges as light as –3 in 30, and 31 inch lengths. These have 2 1/2” barrels and were designed for larger stronger youth players not bound in leagues or Tournaments by Rules mandating 2 1/4” barrels. These make excellent batting practice and training bats for young players as well. Players 13 and 13 may find that 32” adult bats are just too big for their developing bodies. The 73BB and 98BB were designed for these players. Model 73BB and Model 98BB are priced at $85.00.

All X Bat pro maple youth bats are available in any combination of 30 colors and can be inscribed with the player’s name just the pros! Start your journey to the next level with the best bat on the market today designed and developed by professional hitting instructors for the serious youth hitter.

With more and more softball leagues switching to wood, X Bat is becoming the top wood softball bat for performance , selection and quality. Both men’s and women’s softball players are choosing X Bat softball bats as the tool that they can best customize to fit their game. With 5 bat shapes and a wide variety of custom options, softball players are making a run to X Bat as baseball players did 4 years ago. Our Model 73SB softball bat is taking off from the success of our Model 73 baseball bat. This bat has the best balance of any wood bat made today and allows the softball player to swing a heavier bat with the ease of a lighter weight bat. Swinging a bat with an even weight or heavier puts more mass behind the ball and results in more power, distance and carry. We also make softball bats with thin 7/8” handle (Model 59), medium 15/16” handles (Model 41) and thick 1 1/8” handles (Model 61). We also offer a model with a flared 15/16” handle and tapered knob (Model 71). Now softball players can have the same choices baseball players have in selecting a bat model that is most comfortable for their game. Again, X Bat offers more options to serious players everywhere. Performance, comfort, style, customization- everything you need to make your game more fun.

There have been lots of questions from players switching from aluminum to wood softball bats as to what weight to order. Most try to get a –5 since they think the bat speed is important. With slow pitch softball, it is purely about the mass behind the ball. Simple physics. You can certainly swing a broomstick faster than a –5 but how far would the ball go. Baseball players try to use a lighter (actually a bat that feels lighter which means it is more balanced as the weight of the bat is not a reliable indicator of how it “feels”)so they can wait and wait and wait to the last fraction of a second to swing at a pitch. The longer they are able to wait, the less chance they have of being fooled by the pitcher. In slow pitch softball, players have “all the time in the world” compared to baseball so the weight is not important. The heaviest wood softball bat you can swing is what you want to hit the ball harder and further.

How to choose a wood softball bat

X Bat Introduces The First Maple Wood Fastpitch Training Bat In The Country!

X Bat has been known as the number one maple bat in baseball. Players choose X Bat because of the quality of our maple, the quality of our finish, the durability or X Bat but first and foremost, their performance. Now X Bat is quickly becoming the leader in the the growing Trophy Bat, Award Bat and Display bat market. We are finding more and more people who are choosing X Bat baseball and softball bats for gifts and awards to players, coaches and sponsors. Everyone is looking for a unique gift for their favorite player, coach, graduate, sponsor, client, colleague or customer. X Bat are being proudly displayed on the walls and offices of sports fans everywhere. It is a truly a beautiful and unique gift to present to that special person who loves baseball and softball.

Baseball and Softball Teams and Leagues are presenting X Bat to their MVP, batting leaders, home run leaders and coaches. An X Bat Display makes a great fund raiser or silent auction prize or gift for that special generous supporter.

High school, junior college and college baseball and softball programs are giving X Bat to graduating seniors, as gift bats for their coaches and for fund raising and sponsor thank you gifts.

Gift shops and trophy shops are offering customized X Bat Trophy bats, Awards Bats and Display Bats to their customers for special awards, Father’s Day gifts, Mother’s Day gifts (women play softball, too!) or Birthday gifts. X Bat make great Groomsmen Gifts for weddings. X Bat Pro Player Trophy bats are special gifts for the collector of memorabilia to show their support for their favorite players (add link to Pro Player Trophy Bat page).

X Bat Baby Birth Bats (add link to that page) is a great gift for that rookie baseball or softball player that will be proudly displayed long after the rattle and silver cup are packed away.

Advertising Agencies, Corporate Gift Programs, Business Development Marketers and Companies small and large are finding that X Bat make a perfect personalized statement for their clients.

With X Bat proud sponsorship of the US Military All Star baseball Team and Team Marine, more and more bases are offering X Bat as awards for their officers, commanders and outstanding personnel.

he variety of uses for an X Bat Gift Bat, Trophy Bat, Awards Bat and Display Bat are as unlimited as the combinations of colors and inscriptions on our X Bat baseball and softball bats.

There is no gift more unique and endearing than a baby’s first baseball bat. We make two different styles of Baby Birth Bats- one with the baby’s name, birth date, height and weight and a Rookie of the Year Baby Birth bat. The Rookie of the Year Baby Birth Bat is available in both softball and baseball shapes and in any combination of our 30 colors. It features the baby’s name, birth date, length, weight, parent’s names and hometown. We never fail to get compliments from recipients of any of our Baby Birth Bats. It is truly a unique and lasting gift.