As SSUSA carried out their new proprietary senior softball in 2018, I figured this would be a fortunate opportunity to discuss two significant qualities of a softball: COR and Compression. Most importantly, the creation of a softball vs a baseball are divergent in their manufacturing processes. Softballs have a circumference of ~12 inches and a diameter of ~3.8 inches, and weigh around 7 ounces. Unlike baseballs, softballs have an inner polyurethane ball-core synthetic polymer with a cover stitched and glued to the core. The cover is sometimes leather or more commonly a composite material.
Softball COR & Compression
Softballs are evaluated dependent on two measurements – COR Of Restitution and Compression. COR addresses how bouncy the ball is. The higher the COR, the more bouncy the ball is and, for the most part, the farther it will fly.COR is the level of decrease in speed for a ball skipping off a divider. On the off chance that a ball is thrown at a divider at 80 miles every hour and sways off at 40 miles every hour, the speed has been reduced significantly. The ball would be evaluated with a COR of .50 . If your affiliation plays with a .44 COR ball, the speed skirting insane would be 35 miles every hour.
Softball compression is a measure of how hard a softball is. The higher the pressure, the harder the ball, and for the most part, the farther it will fly. Pressure is estimated by the number of pounds of power that are expected to crush different sides of the ball in by a sum of one-fourth of an inch. If a test shows that it takes 375 pounds of power to just barely get the ball by one-quarter inch, the ball is guaranteed as a 375 pound pressure ball. The ASA has just endorsed two degrees of pressure – 375 pounds and 525 pounds. 375 pound balls are milder than 525’s. The ASA “gathers together” to dole out the pressure rating. For instance, if the test shows it just takes 325 pounds of power to accomplish the one-quarter inch press, the ball will be appraised as a 375 pressure ball. This implies your association might be playing with a ball appraised as 375 pressure, however it is truly milder than a genuine 375 pressure ball on account of the “gathering together.”
Testing has shown two primary concerns as it identifies with softball COR and pressure and on-field execution. Initially, a change from a .47 COR, 525 compression ball to a .44 COR, 375 compression ball diminishes execution by up to 6%. Any remaining things being equivalent, this implies that a 305 foot homer utilizing a .47 COR, 525 compression ball would be a 290 foot fly out utilizing a .44 COR, 375 compression ball. Second, decreases in pressure have a much more noteworthy effect in on-field execution than decreases in COR.
As a player, you ought to know that climate affects the pressure of a softball. Studies have shown that when the temperature is 100 degrees, a normal softball sheds 200 pounds of pressure as contrasted and similar softball at 60 degrees. This implies that a softball that is a 525 pound pressure ball at 60 degrees might play like a 375 pound ball at 100 degrees. Furthermore, mists, downpour, and dampness likewise influence the pressure of a ball. 70 degrees and bright makes lower pressure balls than if it was 70 degrees and shady. Calfskin balls by and large interpret more dampness in blustery or moist conditions than engineered balls. This will for the most part raise the pressure and level of play to a limited extent, then, at that point, execution will decrease once the ball takes on a lot of water and turns out to be excessively weighty.
Remember these variables when concluding which bat to utilize and while deciding your methodology for each at-bat. In case it is hot and damp, it could be best not to go after a homer, but rather try for a base hit.
Best 7 Bats for 52 300 Balls
1. MacGregor X52RE ASA Slowpitch Synthetic Softball
The MacGregor X52RE ASA Slowpitch 12″ Softball is one of the best balls on the market. Good balls for team practice and games. These softballs are being used for team practice and as such have been hit several times without damage to cover or loss of performance. You will not go wrong with this purchase.
Features & Specifications
- Made in China
- Comes off legal ASA bats hot
- Package Weight: 2.903 KG
- Package Dimension: 10.2 cm x 30.2 cm x 40.6 cm
- Product Weight: 6.23 Pound
- Product Dimension: 15.5 x 11.6 x 4.1 inches
- Model: 1377375
- ASIN: B00HQJWHRM
- Product Type: RECREATION BALL
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Synthetic
- COR: .52
- Compression: 300 lbs.
- Sports Type: Slowpitch Softball
- Brand: MacGreGor
Pros
- More pop
- Durability is very good
- Great for the price
Cons
- As per a few users, this ball is a little too soft.
2. Dudley 12″ Thunder ZN Hycon ASA Composite Slowpitch Softball
Dudley’s proprietary HYCON Softball Core, which plays the same in cold weather as it does in hot weather, shows that Dudley is “Softball Serious”. It meets the new 50/300 ASA specification for slowpitch softball. These balls feature a high performance poly center and Dudley’s patented composite cover for great feel and playability.
Features & Specifications
- Poly center
- Sold in Dozen
- Meets new ASA specifications
- Product Weight: 5.2 Pounds
- Product Dimension: 15 x 4 x 11 inches
- ASIN: B00F0WXFQE
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Polyurethane
- COR: .52
- Compression: 300 lbs.
- Color: Yellow cover, Red Stiching
- Sports Type: Slowpitch Softball
- Brand: Dudley
Pros
- Durable
- Reasonable price
- They are good batting practice balls
Cons
- Nothing as such
3. Franklin Sports Official Size Slowpitch Tournament Softballs
Franklin Sports Official 12” Slowpitch Softballs are perfect for Slow Pitch tournament play. Featuring a solid PU core with a durable Syntex synthetic cover in vibrant yellow cover for better visibility and flat seams for less air friction, you can feel confident in your performance.
Features & Specifications
- Product Weight: 6.4 Ounces
- Product Dimension: 4.5 x 3.7 x 7 inches
- Model: 10983
- ASIN: B00CO919GE
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Plastic
- Age Group: Unisex-Adult
- Color: Optic Yellow
- Sports Type: Slowpitch Softball
- Brand: Franklin
Pros
- You can practice exactly how you play
- These balls easy to track
- Durable synthetic syntex cover so you can use them season after season
- The lay-flat seams on the balls minimize air-friction helping the ball achieve a more accurate ball flight
Cons
- This ball has been only used for playing catch
4. Rawlings C12RYLAH Official ASA Dream Seam Fastpitch Softballs
Rawlings fastpitch is the best softball in the world with its dream seam.For groups needing the particular sound and feel of plug, the Rawlings Dream Seam ASA/NFHS Fastpitch Softball is the ball of decision. Made of high thickness cork with a Pro Leather Cover, these softballs offer the performance you request while giving you a cheaper game ball choice that is approved for ASA and NFHS competition. Pitchers can make it move better.
Features & Specifications
- Made of high density cork and rawlings’ patented dream seam technology, these softballs offer the performance you demand while giving a lower cost option in game balls
- Easy to grip and throw due to leather cover with raised seams, allowing pitchers to get even more movement on their pitches
- Ideal for ASA and high school level fastpitch softball players, these balls provide durability and consistent performance, making them the standard to softballs and this level of play
- Sold per dozen
- ASIN: B091MXS1GJ
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Leather
- Color: Yellow
- Sports Type: Fastpitch Softball
- Brand: Rawlings
Pros
- Durable
- Lower cost
- High density cork core
Cons
- As per a few Customers, These balls are a little bit weighty.
5. Evil Bp 12″ Softballs .52cor/300 Compression Balls
These balls have durability written all over them. This company makes awesome products. Synthetic Leather cover Designed to give you 1000s of game quality Batting Practice swings without damaging your Composite bats. 2 color cover allows you to monitor the ball spin. Black stitching. Definitely like how you can track the ball.
Features & Specifications
- Made in China
- Comes off legal ASA bats hot
- Package Weight: 2.903 KG
- Package Dimension: 10.2 cm x 30.2 cm x 40.6 cm
- Product Weight: 6.23 Pound
- Product Dimension: 15.5 x 11.6 x 4.1 inches
- Model: 1377375
- ASIN: B00HQJWHRM
- Product Type: RECREATION BALL
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Synthetic
- COR: .52
- Compression: 300 lbs.
- Sports Type: Slowpitch Softball
- Brand: Evil
Pros
- More pop
- Durability is very good
- Great for the price
Cons
- As per a few users, this ball is a little too soft.
6. CHAMPRO ASA 12″ Slow Pitch Softballs with Durahide Cover .52 COR, 12 Pack
These balls are all ASA certified 12″ slow pitch game softballs. They’re made with a long-lasting durahide cover and come in optic yellow, which helps with visibility and tracking the ball. Stitched with flat red seams to minimize wind resistance. All have a solid polyurethane core, .52 COR, and a 300 Compression rating. These softballs are sold by the dozen get 12 softballs in one order.
Features & Specifications
- Solid polyurethane core.
- Made with a long-lasting durahide cover.
- Stitched with flat red seams to minimize wind resistance.
- These balls are all ASA certified 12″ slow pitch game softballs.
- Product Weight: 5.5 Pounds
- Product Dimension: 41.5 x 11.81 x 4.13 inches
- Model: CSB24Y
- ASIN: B00DQ5NQJI
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Other
- Color: Optic Yellow
- Sports Type: Slowpitch Softball
- Brand: Champro
Pros
- Very durable
- Reasonable price
- Great practice softballs
Cons
- Nothing as such
7. Worth 12″ SYCO Gold Dot Extreme / Classic M USSSA Slowpitch Softball
Worth’s 12″ Classic M softballs have blue stitching and are approved for play in the USSSA. Worth’s Gold Dot softballs feature a 3-piece technology that has an inner layer that gives this softball consistent spin and durability. Added to these softballs is the C-LOK adhesive and moisture barrier and then the SYCO composite leather cover for more durability.
Features & Specifications
- PROCOMP cover
- Blue stitich
- USSSA stamped
- Super Gold Dot Expreme ball
- Ideal for ASA slowpitch softball Player
- These balls provide durability and consistent performance, making them the standard to softballs and this level of play.
- Product Weight: 2.2 Pounds
- Product Dimension: 1 x 1 x 1 inches
- Model: W605522
- ASIN: B0060KTYDI
- Item Diameter: 12”
- Material: Leather
- Age Group: Mens
- Color: Optic Yellow
- Sports Type: Slowpitch Softball
- Brand: Worth
Pros
- Durability and consistent
- Easy to grip & throw
- Great ball for the price
Cons
- Nothing as such
How to Hit a 52 300 Softball
In recent years, one of the most well-known and regularly posed inquiries in the realm of baseball has been the manner by which to hit 52 300 softballs. Baseball is the national game of America, and there are very few spirits out there in our reality who don’t have the foggiest idea about the game. One of its many arrangements is the softball configuration, and one of the most well known softball associations is the Allen Sports Association League or ASA League. Profoundly and 375 compression. However, in the autumn of 2012, the league modified its rules, particularly in the way bats and balls were tested and used.One of the progressions permitted the utilization of the new 52 300 softballs. This change totally radicalized the ASA circuit and brought up the exceptionally significant issue of how to hit a 52 300 softball into the stands.
The more current 52 300 softball is considerably more fun than its archetype. As a ball, its higher fundamental belief gives it serious spring and flexibility, and it in this manner has a higher force speed off a fixed deterrent. This standard change was achieved to make the ASA League like the USSSA League and settle on some shared interest for the bats utilized. ASA’s point was to have the ball flex more than the bat, and this, thus, permitted new bats to enter the ASA conflict. These progressions proclaimed more up to date bats, fresher batting innovation, more up to date batting strategies and an in general unique feel to the league. It is by and large concurred that these progressions have made ASA bats more sultry, and scoring grand slams have become more straightforward. By and by, a couple of chunks of astuteness on the best way to hit that 52 300 softball into column Z can never wander off.
Most people underestimate how hard it is to hit a home run that you can hit so easily in baseball, in softball as well. In the ASA slowpitch softball, the ball comes at you at a much slower pace. You may be a herculean power-hitter, but even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s force isn’t going to be enough for the same distance in softball. In softball, the crucial factor is bat speed. The factor that determines how far you are going to send that ball is not how hard you swing, but rather how fast you swing. Get your swing speed up and you can quickly get more distance to your blows. Choose lightweight, aerodynamic bats which have minimal resistance and lightning fast swing speeds. This will give you the ability to blister the .52/300 for miles.
When swinging, keep your wrists free and free and your shoulders loose. Anticipate the ball’s appearance and afterward dispatch a swing, not from your lower back, but rather from your hips. This will give your swing the greatest energy for an expanded bat speed. Having an abundant hitting zone with an enormous perfect balance is an incredible advantage of the bat. Concerning hitting the 52 300 softballs, getting stature can be troublesome. Hitting the ball with a slight upper-cut can resolve this issue, and send the ball taking off. Probably the best ASA fastpitch bats out this year are the 2016 DeMarini Flipper OG, the DeMarini Juggy OG, Louisville Slugger Super Z4000 and the Easton Salvo. Every one of these are lightweight bats with negligible safe for greatest swing speed. They likewise have enormous handles to give hitters that additional force in their swings.
Light and quick is a thing to take care of when it’s with regards to how to hit the 52 300 softball. Since the time the ASA League changed their guidelines to utilize the 52 300 balls, hitting grand slams has been on everyone’s psyches. These anxious balls do a ton of the work, thus with the right bats and the appropriate strategy, you can undoubtedly let fly on one of these softballs. As any great hitter will tell you, you need to coordinate with your swing’s pace and timing to get the best hit, however maybe, this is considerably more significant in softball. An appropriately planned hit on the .52/300, with a quick swing energy, will send the ball taking off for a significant distance. Make certain to distinguish the perfect balance of your bat, and attempt to get your contact not long before the ball crosses the home plate. This will give the hit the most power and speed.
Conclusion
We’ve all experienced ball compression diminishing with increasing humidity and temperature during tournaments. As we have come to learn the hard way, the outside temperature and the climate/elevation affect the ball’s performance. Cooler temps keep the balls harder and higher elevations with less air friction fly farther. Warmer temps will make the ball soft and mushier and performance is degraded.
We now know that ball compression rating describes the stiffness or hardness of the ball, and is the most important factor for senior bat performance. The Coefficient of Restitution or COR, describes a ball’s “bounciness”. I do believe that the 52 300 ball makes for a perfect marriage with our senior bats, allowing for excellent performance as well as safety considerations.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the most popular softball size?
This is the most common size softball for both fast- and slow-pitch games. Fast-pitch youth players will begin using a 12-inch ball around age ten. Some co-ed slow-pitch leagues use a 12-inch softball when men or boys bat and an 11-inch ball when women or girls bat.
2. What is the hardest core softball?
The balls that perform the best are the COR=44 or COR=47 coupled with a high compression value of 400lbs or 450lbs. It’s hard to find softballs today that are 525lbs compression or higher as they are found to be too hot for our senior bats.
