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LOSS OF POWER Home run numbers down after NCAA makes move to less potent metal bats DAVID POLASKI STAFF REPORTER | @DavidPolaski
DN FILE PHOTO JONATHAN MIKSANEK
Senior Kevin Schlotter swings at a pitch during the three game series played Friday and Saturday against Akron on March 15 and 16 at Ball Diamond. The new NCAA bats are designed to reduce ball speed off the bat.
For decades, the metallic ping of a college baseball striking an aluminum bat was heard at baseball diamonds across America, from Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA University to Ball Diamond just outside of Ball State. It was the noise that represented college baseball. But not anymore. Not after the NCAA made all college baseball programs transition to use metal bats starting in the 2011 season. These bats are meant to behave similarly to their wooden counterparts used in the major leagues. The NCAA says that the change was an attempt to lower the velocity that the ball comes off the bat, in order to prevent dangerous injuries, like what occurred to Minnesota pitcher Ben Birk. Birk was hit in the face by a line drive clocked coming off the bat at nearly 100 m.p.h. The strike required Birk to have a titanium plate inserted close to his left eye. Ball State coach Rich Maloney understands why the NCAA would make
the change. “Player safety is always going to be a top priority,” Maloney said. “When safety is threatened, the NCAA will act.” Alan Nathan, a retired physics professor at Illinois University, spent time dissecting the potency of the new bats, and the effects they have when a ball is put in play. The overall message that Nathan sends is fairly simple: the slower the ball comes off the bat, the more reaction time the pitcher will have to get in position to either field the ball or get out of the way. “A typically hard hit ball that’s moving at 100 mph is going to reach the pitcher in about four tenths of a second,” Nathan said. “If I reduce the batted ball speed by five percent, which is essentially what the new bats do, it gives the pitcher an additional 20 milliseconds to react.” The NCAA is hoping that extra time is enough to save a pitcher from injury, but it’s not the only thing the new bats do. Reducing bat potency has had a number of other side effects, none more noticeable than the drop in power. Ball State redshirt junior Billy Wellman has played with both bats in college, and has noticed a huge difference.
See BASEBALL, page 5
HITTING THE SWEET SPOT Hitters are always looking for the perfect swing. No matter what kind of bat is used, look for that solid hit. Power, distance and placement all play into what defines the “sweet spot.”
THE “SWEET” SPOT
This part of the bat achieves maximum power and distance. The physics of the “sweet” spot is the maximum vibration an aluminum or wooden bat can get on impact. In action, the sweet spot is about three inches down the barrel and will send the ball up the middle of the field. Closer to the upper third gives a powerful swing and a potential homerun.
POP-UP
GROUNDER
The sacrifice fly is sometimes your best strategy for scoring. Therefore, hitting the ball with the upper third of the bat is going to put the ball in the air. However, the pop-up can often result in an out.
Aiming for the lower third of the bat is best to knock down a pitch and keep the ball on the ground. When bunting, the batter should also aim for this section of the bat.
BAT SPEED AND ANGLE SWINGING AHEAD
STRAIGHT ON
BEHIND THE PITCH
If the bat speed is too fast, the ball will pull the left field, or at the third baseman and shortstop, depending on power.
This is the most solid contact that you will get with the bat. The 90-degree angle allows for power and distance.
DN THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013
If the bat speed is a little too slow, the ball will pull to right field, or at the second or first baseman, depending on power.
THE DAILY NEWS
BSUDAILY.COM
Ball State uses alerts to inform of issue
DN PHOTO MATTHEW AMARO
Workers outside of Ball Gymnasium try to fix the water main break problem that occurred early Wednesday morning. Students compared how the Ball State alert notifications for the pipe burst and how it differed from the alleged gun man on campus.
Official says number of updates serve as reflection of feedback SARA NAHRWOLD DAY EDITOR | news@bsudailynews.com Ball State used its notification system several times throughout Wednesday to keep students informed about a water main break that left four buildings without running water. Students voiced opinions on Twitter about the amount of alerts they received for the water main break versus the number with the alleged gunman on campus. The water main break lasted about six hours versus the less than two hours of the other incident, making it difficult to compare given the time frames of the two different situations, Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications said. “Anytime we have any kind of incident where we use the notification system, we take feedback from the campus community on how we can communicate more effectively,” Proudfoot said. “We did get feedback that more frequent updates would be helpful. Those are the kinds of information that we include to consistently refine our process.” Water service was restored about 2 p.m. to the Administration Building, Lucina Hall, West Quadrangle Building and Ball Gym, according to texts and emails sent by the university. The break was discovered shortly after 8 a.m. in front of the east doors of Ball Gym, media relations manager Vic Caleca said. Six emergency notification text messages and five emails were sent to update students on the progress of fixing the pipe. A clamp was put on the broken pipeline to get it back up and running, said Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities.
See PIPE, page 3
SOURCE: Ball State Baseball Assistant Coaching Staff: Scott French, Dustin Glant, Todd Linklater
DN GRAPHIC LAUREN CHAPMAN
DN| BRIEF
US high court skeptical of marriage law Five justices question
Defense of Marriage Act intrudes on state power | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, concluding two days of intense debate, indicated Wednesday it could strike down the law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of federal benefits that go to married people. The court wrapped up its arguments over gay marriage in America, and Justice Anthony Kennedy — often the decisive vote in a divided court — joined the four more liberal justices in raising questions about the provision of the federal Defense of
Marriage Act that is being challenged at the Supreme Court. Kennedy said the law appears to intrude on the power of states that have chosen to recognize same-sex marriages. Other justices said the law creates what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called two classes of marriage. The federal law affects a range of benefits available to married couples, including tax breaks, survivor benefits and health insurance for spouses of federal employees. Lower federal courts have struck down the section of the law that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman, and now the justices, in nearly two hours of scheduled argument, were considering whether to follow suit.
See MARRIAGE, page 3
Circuit Court 5 ruled against Chris Hiatt, owner of Hiatt Printing, in an eminent domain case with Ball State, according to a Facebook post by Hiatt. Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications, said the ruling was made at the end of the day, and Ball State communications couldn’t comment until the case is reviewed Thursday. Hiatt said in a Facebook post that he would appeal the ruling. “For the sake of our 4 decades of business presence and investment in this community as well as the many livelihoods that are at stake, we’ll undoubtedly be appealing the decision,” he said. The space on McKinley Avenue where Hiatt Printing resides would be used for McKinley Commons, a combined hotel, convention center and residence hall. Randy Howard, vice president for Business Affairs and treasurer, said in a Daily News report in September 2012 that he didn’t think Ball State could offer more money than the $400,000 originally proposed in April 2012. “The ruling has not come as a big surprise but we are obviously disappointed nonetheless,” Hiatt said. – DEVAN FILCHAK
THE BALL STATE DAILY NEWS
MUNCIE, INDIANA
I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO-OOO!
MCT PHOTO
Members of the public wait in line for the chance to catch a brief glimpse of oral arguments as the Supreme Court ponders California’s Proposition 8 in Washington on Tuesday.
COURT VOTES AGAINST HIATT IN BSU EMINENT DOMAIN CASE
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