Everyone

Reminder to all parents about baseball equipment Christmas presents for boys. Please do not spend a bunch of money on equipment without checking with one of the coaches. Last year we had boys show up to the first Longhorns practice with baseball bats that they may be able to swing when they are 18. If you are thinking of buying baseball equipment for Christmas or your boy is putting together a Santa Clause list with bats and gloves on it please make sure they put down the size. Here are my guidelines:

Bats:

• No one on the team should have a bat longer than 31" or shorter than 29".  (Pate, Joe, Bryan are clear to go up to 31". Issac, Ryan, Alex, Kyle, are good for 29". Hayden and Caden are good for 30".)
• The weight of the bat should be a -8. This means that the bat length minus the weight equals 8.
• The barrel size preferred is 2 ¾ ". Nothing smaller than 2 5/8"
• If you want to go longer than what I listed choose a -9 bat. The weight is really the most important factor.
• Force = mass X acceleration. Acceleration = velocity squared. You get an exponential increase in force by increasing velocity and only liner force increase if you increase the mass.
• www.Justbats.com has a wide selection.

Gloves:

Infielders Nothing Bigger than:

• 3rd base - 11.5"
• Short Stop and Second Base - 11.25"
• Outfield - 12"

If the glove feels big choose the smaller size. It is better to be a quarter inch small than a quarter inch too big.

Batting gloves are recommended. They are good when it is cold and also are protectors of the hands when boys slide on the bases.

www.ballglovewarehouse.com

(Info compiled by Alan Bracken)