Survey shocker: College baseball coaches prefer aluminum bats

From the AP (bold is ours): If coaches at the top U.S. college baseball programs have their way, the ping of the aluminum bat will forever remain a part of the game. According to an Associated Press survey of 24 coaches whose programs have won 1,000 or more games since 1985, 17 said they preferred aluminum and that there was no need to study the possibility of going to wood bats.

A COUPLE PARAGRAPHS LATER

Proponents of metal argue that all 301 Division I programs play with the same thing and there's no risk of having top programs playing with better wooden bats, potentially skewing the results. They also like the scoring boost and say a $300 aluminum bat can last an entire 56-game season, while $100 wooden bats can break at any time.

MANY, MANY PARAGRAPHS LATER

Wood, of course, remains legal at all levels of college baseball. Just don't count on ever seeing it in Division I, where bat makers have long-standing relationships with the top programs.

Manufacturers such as Louisville Slugger and Easton provide free bats and other gear to elite programs and pay coaches -- sometimes six figures -- for agreeing to use their products.

Paul Mainieri, coach of 2009 national champion LSU, has a clause in his contract that calls for him to receive $150,000 a year from the school's athletic booster club and equipment deals. His contract does not break down how much of that money comes from Easton, the Tigers' bat supplier.

"He is concerned about saying anything that might affect his relationship with his bat company," LSU baseball spokesman Bill Franques wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Besides the coaches' paychecks, many programs save thousands of dollars a year in equipment costs because bat manufacturers supply bats for free.

"I think there's some traditionalist in all of us," said South Carolina's Ray Tanner, whose contract calls for him to receive $120,000 a year from Easton. "That being said, aluminum bats are in college baseball because of costs. I'm not sure that wooden bats would ever be possible again."