"I think I got more distance on the wood bat than the metal bat," one youngster said.
The bat is put together with 12 wedges of wood, ash or maple, and held together with a powerful glue. Officials say it provides ample power, without the danger.
"So any player who is trained to see how the ball is coming off the bat, based on the speed of the pitch and the mechanics of the hitter, the ball will come off exactly that way and will be able to safely field it," bat creator Ward Dill said.
Dill hopes his bat will help prevent the kind of baseball accident which left Steven Domalewski in a wheelchair, suffering brain damage after being hit in the chest by a line drive off a metal bat. His injury prompted action to remove aluminum bats from little league play.
"Anything that's going to make a game safer for a young athlete to participate in sports is something I think we all need to get behind," Assemblyman Scott Rumana said.
The actual cost of the bat is $120 to $150, and it is guaranteed not to split or shatter for at least one year.
"You will never have a situation with our maple bats where they shatter and the barrel goes careening off towards the spectators or players," Dill said.
Little leaguers are testing the bat to see if the new lumber passes the test, and some on the major league level have been asked to give it a swing.
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STORY BY: New Jersey reporter Anthony Johnson
WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
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