.52 balls- Have they made you a better hitter?

tattooball

Active Member
I will reluctantly admit I am getting more friendlier with the 52's however hitting the 44's is sweet music to my ears. That sound, feel and distance is so nice. BTW haters remind me again how many fatalities were there with the old balls again?

7 fatalities in 2 years, I don't know the number of facial reconstruction surgeries but it was to many.
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
I played 3 games on a 360' field yesterday with .52s. I had 3 HR in the first two games when it was calm. Wind blew straight in the third game, so I didn't have any. These balls will go a long way if you get under them with spin.

If the Border Battle were played with composite Hycors I'm thinking you'd see a lot of HRs. Those are the best .52 I know of and they will definitely leave a baseball field if hit well.

Headwinds are the only real limiting factor with these balls, that and the fact that they do wear out. Once a .52 ball wears out it won't fly anymore.
 

jhitman

Well-Known Member
I'd get the 52cor version and be happy you can supply your own ball. The 44/375 version I've been hitting is the best 44/375 ball I've ever hit.

I agree. We get supplied game balls but we can exchange them out as long as it's a legal ball. We had some fun this weekend with the Evil Long Haul Bomber softballs. I think they are 44 or 47 cor and 525 comp. Those suckers really fly.
 

jhitman

Well-Known Member
Not seeing a lot of 400 footers with 44s above 90 degrees.

I think the 52's fly better in the heat than the 44's, but in the early Spring and late Fall, the 44's are definitely better. I didn't understand the 250' deal. We hit them last weekend in 85+ degree heat and we hit many balls in the 325' range with used 52's.
 

AWall13

Addicted to Softballfans
It hasn't made me concentrate more and I have'nt seen much difference other than the mi**** home run that goes 303' doesn't happen no more. Only change is I've found it made me much more patient. I'm taking more pitches, and hitting better pitches so the power is possibly more consistent than before swinging at less than optimal pitches to hit
 

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
It hasn't made me concentrate more and I have'nt seen much difference other than the mi**** home run that goes 303' doesn't happen no more. Only change is I've found it made me much more patient. I'm taking more pitches, and hitting better pitches so the power is possibly more consistent than before swinging at less than optimal pitches to hit

Bingo. I find myself waiting more and selecting better pitches to hit as well. It's harder to force a .52 out on on a middling pitch than it is a .44. You have to wait for a pitch you can put a good swing on.
 

nkva

Addicted to Softballfans
Not sure this "makes someone a better hitter", but it has started to heat up in Central VA with the temps in the upper 80's, and this has caused the ground to harden a little. Last night in one game (make up), our team had three hits bounce over a 315 fence for a ground rule double. The interesting thing that I don't know that I have seen before, was on a liner to left, the ball took one normal hop and then a +/-20' hop over the fielder and fence. There were multiple high hops in the OF that were above "norm" from past experience.

RE: Waiting on better pitches: That all depends on the league, your team mates and the ump. I can say that the instances of an ump calling a ball a foot off the plate a strike in order to try and "move along the game" when the pitchers are struggling with the new ball in the wind have increased substantially. It doesn't effect the better players in the top league, but I am surprised that we are over a month in and pitchers are still battling to throw consistent when the wind is up. After a number of generous strike calls, one ump said, "I get paid by the out"....LOL. It makes it difficult to wait on a better pitch when the umps are expanding the zone (and the good pitchers take advantage of this!).
 

philphan89

Addicted to Softballfans
Definitely noticing the wind playing a huge role in how these balls perform.

would have to agree another good point is that the shaver heroes can't hit well because they continue to swing at bad pitches that used to be homers but are outs because the ball does not have the spin
 
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