Editor’s note: The 7A-2 regional semifinal baseball game between Liberty and Osceola was postponed by rain Tuesday. The winner of that game will play Brandon Friday at 7 p.m. for the regional championship. Osceola would host Brandon, Liberty would travel. For the latest information, see aroundosceola.com.

By Ken Jackson
For the News-Gazette

Baseball players and coaches spend much of their time poring over abbreviated stats to form their strategy.

There’s the familiar ERA and RBI, and the new-age WHIP and OPS.

This year, though, the one stat on most of their minds is BBCOR, and how it’s replaced BESR.

We’re talking bats.

Beginning this season, for an aluminum baseball bat to conform to National High School Federation guidelines, it must meet BBCOR, or Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution Standard, specifications. Those standards replace the BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio) guideline, which the National Federation of High Schools had used for aluminum bats since before current high school players were born.

A BBCOR bat lacks the “trampoline effect,” or a momentary recoiling of the bat surface, that a BESR bat is capable of producing.  At impact that spring effect would allow a well-hit ball to leave the bat at tremendous speed, aiding the hitter but putting pitchers and infielders at risk of being injured by line drives that were upon fielders in an instant.

The NCAA put their guidelines in place for the 2011 season, and after favorable results, the NFHS followed suit this year. Thus, high school players have been stepping into the batter’s box this season with a bat with essentially the specifications of a wood bat – a bat that won’t break.

Coaches saw it coming and had players swinging BBCOR or wood bats during fall conditioning. The effect, the reduction of the “jump” balls get off the new bats, has been about what was expected.

And it has definitely affected the game, Harmony Coach Mike Fields said.

“Even in practice the ball just does not go as far,” he said. “They come back into the dugout shaking their heads sometimes. They said they ‘got all of it’ and they probably did, but the ball just does not travel as far. Some of the kids have figured out they need to worry more about line drives, and some have not.”

Fields said that the Longhorns, who reached the regional quarterfinals before losing 2-1 in eight innings against Liberty last week, saw a power vacuum for much of the season. Wyatt Dering had two homers, including a three-run shot against St. Cloud. P.J. Mussleman hit a two-run homer and Tim Helser had a grand slam in a 17-0 win over outmanned Central Florida Christian.

That wasn’t the norm for most of the season, though.

Osceola Coach Scott Birchler has one of the most power-packed lineups in the school’s history with 11 seniors, but he said the new bat standards have reduced big bang innings.

“Runs are down because there is no forgiveness in the new technology. Most batted balls that miss the sweet spot are outs,” Birchler said.  “A lot of one run games. Teams are bunting in all situations: no outs, one out, even two outs with runners on base, just trying to get a few runs knowing you don’t need many to win.”

The emphasis this season was on pitching and defense. At Gateway, Coach Rob Hammond knew his team would be strong in those departments. It explains why the Panthers clinched the No. 1 seed for the District 7A-5 tournament and defended their Orange Belt Conference title before losing to OHS in the district tournament semifinal round.

“The bats had a huge influence on our games. In general, hits are down, especially extra base hits,” he said. “Our stats were down in every category, except in stolen bases. We had 15 more than last season through 17 games, because generating runs is at a premium.”

On the other hand, Hammond said his staff’s pitching stats looked stellar.

Fields said that comes at the expense of the average hitter.

“They are not getting the hits they might have gotten last year when they do not hit it squarely, or off the handle,” Fields said. “It is a much easier out. But it helps our pitchers that the ball stays in the park more often.”

Birchler agrees.

“The good hitters will still hit; the average guy has to really work to hit the sweet spot,” he said.

Perhaps Birchler’s Kowboys figured that out late in the season. Edwin Rios and J.R. Charles each hit four homers; Charles had a pair at the district tournament two weeks ago.

“The (bat) model makes a difference, and I like mine,” Charles said. “You just have to square it up.  Last year, even if you didn’t, you could still get a nice hit. Not anymore.”

Even with the less explosive bats, the game itself hasn’t changed that much, Gateway’s Hammond said.

“I didn’t feel any safer with a one-run lead than before,” he said. “As far as deciding if I like the way the new bats have changed the game, the jury is still out. I like pitchers’ duels ... and three-run homers.”