Strike one! Aluminum. Strike two! Maple. Will EAB be strike three?

Abstract

Baseball bats made out of white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) have been the standard for professional baseball since the beginning of the game in 1849. Until the mid- to late-1970s, ash was the principal material used for all baseball (and softball) bats -- major league, minor league, adult, and youth. The market share of baseball bats made from wood eroded precipitously in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a result of the introduction of aluminum bats. Wooden bats now constitute less than 10 percent of bat production and sales.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of symposium on ash in North America

Citation

Boltz, Brian; Wiedenbeck, Jan. 2010. Strike one Aluminum Strike two Maple Will EAB be strike three. In: Michler, Charles H.; Ginzel, Matthew D., eds. 2010. Proceedings of symposium on ash in North America; 2010 March 9-11; West Lafayette, IN. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-72. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 26-31.