Pro M challenge......

[TWmccoy]

We got to play a tourny in Loveland, CO yesterday using Pro M balls. I think these balls were surplus from the major tourny that was supposed to be held here, but was moved to Salt Lake City this weekend.

Anyway, it was unlimited HR, but you weren't allowed to hit solos. They were outs.

I've hit Pro Ms in BP here, but never used them in games before. Here are my thoughts/observations of the balls:

They feel nice off the bat. Crisp, but not remarkably hard. Not as dead/hard as classic M ZNs. Temp was about 75, so the balls weren't mushing up at all.
The balls fly funny. They seem to jump off the bat, but lose energy fast and kind of die. Its a bizarre, floaty flight. Tons of knuckleballs too. I saw all sorts of balls knuckling past outfielders. These things reminded me of .52s in that regard.

Overall distance was OK, but not remarkable. I saw a lot of long HRs, but these definitely aren't the hottest .44 375 balls I've ever seen.

The Pro M has proven itself. I've hit them in Viera, and they fly out of those fields easily even in the heat. Here in CO on 310' fields they're too much ball. Good for a novelty event with unlimited HR, but I wouldn't want to use these balls here for regular events.

 

[jbo911]

I've now played two tournaments in a row that allowed them, and I'll take then over classic ms any day. When hit well they fly for sure, but i took a shot in my Palm that didn't even hurt. This May just be coincidence, but there seemed to be fewer balls that were easily crushed while off balance. Like the higher cor just made it a fraction harder to square up.

 

[TWmccoy]

I've now played two tournaments in a row that allowed them, and I'll take then over classic ms any day. When hit well they fly for sure, but i took a shot in my Palm that didn't even hurt. This May just be coincidence, but there seemed to be fewer balls that were easily crushed while off balance. Like the higher cor just made it a fraction harder to square up.

Yeah, the Pro M isn't ridiculously hard or jumpy. I wouldn't rate it as the best flying .44 375 I've seen. Its a pretty good ball. I agree, I didn't see a ton of total mis hit HRs with them.

I would prefer to hit these all day long over any classic M. Pro Ms have a little more of a floaty flight than classic Ms.

 

[EAJuggalo]

I've only been on the field with them being used in Cincinnati. It seemed to fly differently between the two parks. It seemed like way too much ball for Mid-America even in the triple digit heat indices. But seemed to work very well at River West. I agree they knuckle and hop much more like the ASA 52's than the Classic Ms. I would prefer that they change out the ball each weekend depending on where they are. I'm very interested to see how it goes next weekend in Detroit if they hit the Pros with the highs forecast in the low 70's.

 

[TWmccoy]

Yesterday was a bit of a test. Pro M vs ZN classic M on a 300' field with junky metal bats in BP. 90+ degrees.

As the day went on (and got hotter) I could feel the balls getting mushier and deader. The Pro M was outflying the classic M, but not by much. Honestly, when it hits 90 the Pro M isn't a very lively ball. In those temps I noticed classic +s flying just as far.

ZN classic Ms get really dead when it gets hot. The ball felt pillowy and unresponsive. I had to earn the HRs I was hitting. Granted I wasn't using good bats, but the ball wasn't helping out at all. 320' felt like about as far as I could push a classic M yesterday. I had a couple Champro synthetic classic Ms out there too, and they were even worse.

In really hot weather the Pro M is obviously better than a classic M. That said, it isn't a remarkable performer. In cool/cold weather the Pro M is way too much ball for 300' fields.

Using Blade ESTs for BP in hot weather with classic and Pro Ms was a good challenge yesterday. The bats aren't very hot to begin with, and they have small sweet spots. I found that I had to get the ball in the air and spin it to hit them out. Anything I hit low or not with enough spin was hitting the fence or warning track. The heat makes such a difference with both balls. The Pro M was probably about 15' better than the classic M. It had a better feel, not as dead.

Temperature makes all the difference with classic or Pro Ms. They can be the hardest or the softest balls you've ever hit depending on how hot it is. I hadn't hit classic Ms in a while, and I forgot how bad they can really get in the heat.

 

[jbo911]

I've only been on the field with them being used in Cincinnati. It seemed to fly differently between the two parks. It seemed like way too much ball for Mid-America even in the triple digit heat indices. But seemed to work very well at River West. I agree they knuckle and hop much more like the ASA 52's than the Classic Ms. I would prefer that they change out the ball each weekend depending on where they are. I'm very interested to see how it goes next weekend in Detroit if they hit the Pros with the highs forecast in the low 70's.

That had to be a factor of the players because in d and e the classic m knuckles way more.

What fields were you on at mab? The back two are launching pads and everything is too much ball on 4.

 

[dunkky]

i have a few of those classic Ms. man they don't perform in hot days, worse than 52s, especially when they were baked in the car for awhile. What performed better for me was hotdot classic M+.

 

[EAJuggalo]

That had to be a factor of the players because in d and e the classic m knuckles way more.

What fields were you on at mab? The back two are launching pads and everything is too much ball on 4.

2 and 4. I completely agree that even a rolled up sock is too much ball, especially for major players, on 4. But I thought it was too much on 2 as well. Of course when I was on 2 it was 2am and down to about 80 with Thunder and Precision.

I've never seen anyone other than CUSSSA use the Pro, I will keep an eye on it when if that is the ball being used at D and E worlds next month.

 

[jbo911]

2 and 4. I completely agree that even a rolled up sock is too much ball, especially for major players, on 4. But I thought it was too much on 2 as well. Of course when I was on 2 it was 2am and down to about 80 with Thunder and Precision.

I've never seen anyone other than CUSSSA use the Pro, I will keep an eye on it when if that is the ball being used at D and E worlds next month.

One tournament was the King's Softball, which I get. It was paper roster, etc., but the other was GSL State. I know we were allowed to use UTrip balls early in the year because Corona made it hard for us to get new balls, so I don't know if that's a factor or what. They were selling them at the fields I assume, because that's all some teams were hitting.

 

[TWmccoy]

2 and 4. I completely agree that even a rolled up sock is too much ball, especially for major players, on 4. But I thought it was too much on 2 as well. Of course when I was on 2 it was 2am and down to about 80 with Thunder and Precision.

I've never seen anyone other than CUSSSA use the Pro, I will keep an eye on it when if that is the ball being used at D and E worlds next month.

Pro Ms were used for all worlds in Viera last year, even military.

 

[ilyk2win]

Pro Ms were used for all worlds in Viera last year, even military.

Not sure if you were in Columbus or not, but IMO this was probably still too much ball. Wind was not a factor at all, and temps were mild IMO. Ball was flying!!!! Was consistent though, in terms of mid-day (heat/humidity) vs late at night (cooler) - still flew similar IMO.

 

[TWmccoy]

Not sure if you were in Columbus or not, but IMO this was probably still too much ball. Wind was not a factor at all, and temps were mild IMO. Ball was flying!!!! Was consistent though, in terms of mid-day (heat/humidity) vs late at night (cooler) - still flew similar IMO.

Nope. I've used the Pro M in Viera and CO, that's it.

In CO it's definitely too much ball. Sometimes even in Viera it can seem a little jumpy.

The Pro M plays consistent, I'll agree. Even in the middle of the day in FL it seems to retain hardness and fly well.

 

[jbo911]

Not sure if you were in Columbus or not, but IMO this was probably still too much ball. Wind was not a factor at all, and temps were mild IMO. Ball was flying!!!! Was consistent though, in terms of mid-day (heat/humidity) vs late at night (cooler) - still flew similar IMO.

Is softball world going to past any vids? I'm assuming you meant military world. I played civilian fortnite with some of the moody guys when i loved there. Columbus is a weird place to play. The ball carries on some fields way more than others.

 

[ilyk2win]

Is softball world going to past any vids? I'm assuming you meant military world. I played civilian fortnite with some of the moody guys when i loved there. Columbus is a weird place to play. The ball carries on some fields way more than others.

Ball seemed to carry on ALL fields from what I saw. UTrip over-rode the Columbus stream and had people pay thru USSSA Live, then didn't even stream half our games. Kind of thankful the last one won't have to b relived.

 

[Hagen49]

We got to play a tourny in Loveland, CO yesterday using Pro M balls. I think these balls were surplus from the major tourny that was supposed to be held here, but was moved to Salt Lake City this weekend.

Anyway, it was unlimited HR, but you weren't allowed to hit solos. They were outs.

I've hit Pro Ms in BP here, but never used them in games before. Here are my thoughts/observations of the balls:

They feel nice off the bat. Crisp, but not remarkably hard. Not as dead/hard as classic M ZNs. Temp was about 75, so the balls weren't mushing up at all.
The balls fly funny. They seem to jump off the bat, but lose energy fast and kind of die. Its a bizarre, floaty flight. Tons of knuckleballs too. I saw all sorts of balls knuckling past outfielders. These things reminded me of .52s in that regard.

Overall distance was OK, but not remarkable. I saw a lot of long HRs, but these definitely aren't the hottest .44 375 balls I've ever seen.

The Pro M has proven itself. I've hit them in Viera, and they fly out of those fields easily even in the heat. Here in CO on 310' fields they're too much ball. Good for a novelty event with unlimited HR, but I wouldn't want to use these balls here for regular events.

Going back to this, did you see Colorado utrip is saying between Memorial day and labor day they will be using the Pro M? The good news is they are pretty close to the same ball Skyview uses, but gonna be a bit odd.

 

[D-ROCK13]

Our local league is allowing a choice between usssa worth gold dot extreme classic m's, or dudley pro m's, and making the switch to pro m's mandatory, in 2022. Sounds like i need to stock up on pro m's now

 

[Bobby Buggs]

Why not Evil Classic M, fully approved by USSSA?

 

[D-ROCK13]

Why not Evil Classic M, fully approved by USSSA?

You'd have to ask our super smart league directors that question, the 20 years I've been playing, we've always been limited to a single brand and type of ball, always been dudley or worth

 

[jbo911]

Same Here. It's dumb.

 

[TWmccoy]

Going back to this, did you see Colorado utrip is saying between Memorial day and labor day they will be using the Pro M? The good news is they are pretty close to the same ball Skyview uses, but gonna be a bit odd.

I did see that. I guess I don't have a huge problem with Pro Ms when the weather's warm/hot. I don't like them in the cold. They're like rocks, and they break bats.

If it were up to me, USSSA would just use C+ all the time. I guess too many people bitched about C+s, which is why they're going to use Pro Ms in the middle of the season now.

Those Skyview balls are insane. The fields are too small for those hard balls. In the cold parts of the year it's freaking ridiculous.

 

[ilyk2win]

IMO the Gold Dot Extreme's fly faster/farther than any other ball in use today. If you square it up with any elevation at all 300' can't hold them, and if you cut it forget about it. That's at sea level, I can't imagine the distance in the mountains in CO.

 

[TWmccoy]

IMO the Gold Dot Extreme's fly faster/farther than any other ball in use today. If you square it up with any elevation at all 300' can't hold them, and if you cut it forget about it. That's at sea level, I can't imagine the distance in the mountains in CO.

I agree. We don't use Gold Dot Extremes here in CO, but I've hit them sporadically. They're absolute bricks. When it comes to classic Ms I'll say they're easily the hardest/best flying.

The best flying .44 375 I've ever hit is the ISPS X Rock w/ microcell cover. I've had one of those in my BP bag for over 2 YEARS now that still soars over 400' regularly. These balls outfly stadiums and other illegal/HR derby type balls.

Platinum Dots will outfly anything I've ever hit, but I don't count them as real softballs since they aren't legal in any association. Nor are they the right size.

Pro Ms are pretty good balls. I'd still rather hit them in hot weather than classic Ms. Classic Ms get too mushy/dead in the head and rock hard in the cold. Pro Ms aren't as susceptible to temperature change.

 

[Bobby Buggs]

The Pro M makes Zero sense following what was learned from the 52-XXX era. Its like a regression

 

[TWmccoy]

The Pro M makes Zero sense following what was learned from the 52-XXX era. Its like a regression

I agree. I think all softball should be played with .52s unless you're in the stadium at Viera.

I'm perfectly fine with using .52/300s or C+s for everything.

That said, I'd still rather hit the Pro M than classic M. Classic M is too weather dependent.

 

[Bobby Buggs]

I dont mind playing with 52-300 but its a blast when I get to play Senior in Florida with Microcell.

 

[TWmccoy]

I dont mind playing with 52-300 but its a blast when I get to play Senior in Florida with Microcell.

Those Trump Microcells are the hottest balls I've ever hit. ISPS or ISA. They're light years above any existing .44 375.

 

[Hagen49]

I did see that. I guess I don't have a huge problem with Pro Ms when the weather's warm/hot. I don't like them in the cold. They're like rocks, and they break bats.

If it were up to me, USSSA would just use C+ all the time. I guess too many people bitched about C+s, which is why they're going to use Pro Ms in the middle of the season now.

Those Skyview balls are insane. The fields are too small for those hard balls. In the cold parts of the year it's freaking ridiculous.

Yeah I'm surprised that they have us hitting 44/400s for tourneys, but I guess it's just because that's what WSL specs. I do like it though because me with my terrible swing can still occasionally poke one out.

 

[EAJuggalo]

I watched a bit of the Challenge Cup this weekend. The Pro M was flying at 5am, not so much at noon. Those middle of the night games had all the HR's gone in the second, but a lot seemed to be left on the board during the day.

 

[TWmccoy]

I watched a bit of the Challenge Cup this weekend. The Pro M was flying at 5am, not so much at noon. Those middle of the night games had all the HR's gone in the second, but a lot seemed to be left on the board during the day.

I played in the Challenge Cup last year. The Pro M flew great the whole time. It never got hot enough during the day to deaden the ball any. I saw lots of 400'+ shots. At night the ball was an absolute rock.

I think a lot of negative ball flight during the day can be attributed to wind. It's way calmer at night.

 

[Bobby Buggs]

44s can be significantly affected by thermal decompression during a hot day.