Should NC HS's go to mandatory use of wood bats?

I would like to see what thoughts are out there on NC HS's going exclusively to wood bats. (Im not saying it will happen. I just want to see what people think of the idea.)

I am a supporter of exclusive use of wood bats however I don't know everything. Please generate as much discussion as possible.

Most baseball enthusiasts know that is much more difficult to hit with wood bats. Also the ball won't go as far.

Other points:

Today's metal/composite bats don't hit much different than wood bats.

Wood bats can be custom made for the individual hitter(no not juiced! Tapper, handle, etc.)

Wood bats are much cheaper. (I would suspect that bat companies want us to continue the use of $400 bats.)

 

Not in the aggregate. Aluminum and alloy bats can be used for long periods of time, whereas wood bats break all the time. Schools understandably don't want to shoulder the additional cost, and that will only change when people sue school systems for aluminum bat injuries.

My two main reasons for supporting wood bats are safety and fairness. The velocity of the ball coming off of a metal bat is significantly higher than from wood, and thus exposes players (especially the pitcher) to increased risk. Obviously serious injuries and even death can still occur with wood (see Mike Coolbaugh), but it's less likely.

And in terms of fairness, schools do provide bats but in my experience there was still a disconnect between players whose parents could afford their own expensive aluminum bats and those who had to use what the school provided. It seems to me that it creates another unnecessary division between the haves and the have nots.


Plus an added benefit is that for the few players legitimately good enough to play pro ball, this gives the pitchers a better chance because of increased familiarity with pitching inside, and hitters won't have to struggle with the adjustment. That's so rare, though, that it's not a huge factor for me.