Best Softball Bats: Top 5 Designs Most Recommended By Experts

Batter up! As a softball player, when you step up to home plate, not just any old bat will showcase your skills. While the sport is similar to baseball, softball equipment is a whole different beast. Some of the best softball bats can make all the difference to your game for pros and beginners alike.

Ensuring safety is crucial; one way to prevent injuries is by using high-quality equipment. Head injuries are highly dangerous and can lead to many complications beyond a bad headache. A recent study reveals a single head injury increases a person’s risk of dementia, particularly in women. That puts women running bases without a helmet even more at risk.

It might not seem dangerous, but softball players face risks of injury the minute they step onto the field. A study found that female softball players suffered a higher concussion rate than male baseball players. Ouch. And among all sports, female ice hockey players suffered the highest rates – even higher than male football players.

Sport safety aside, the real star of the game is the bat. Different bats suit different players and with so many to choose from, it can be overwhelming. StudyFinds did the research for you, selecting the five best softball bats after reviewing the 10 expert websites. Let us know which one you prefer or use in the comment section below.

The List: Best Softball Bats, According to Experts

 

1. Louisville Slugger LXT

Bat Digest calls this their favorite because it “ranks out in the top echelon for exit speeds, gets crazy great reviews online, and is available in a wide range of sizes. It works well for the big hitter who still wants a drop 10 in a 34 and the newer hitter looking for their first taste of serious performance fastpitch. All in all, the 2022 LXT is an easy choice for our best 2022 Fastpitch bat.”

“With decades of tradition behind the Louisville Slugger brand, it’s no surprise that the company continues to release quality fastpitch products. The Louisville Slugger LXT X19 Fastpitch bat features VCX Technology, allowing for independent movement between the handle and barrel. This fastpitch setup will enable you to control the vibrational feedback through the bat into the handle, resulting in a balanced swing weight,” adds Baseball Bible. “The lightweight materials featured in the construction of this bat provide excellent swing speed control, and the Slugger Pro Comfort grip ensures that your grip never slips. The patented PBF Barrel Technology gives the batter a unique pop with a low-profile design and increased barrel length, featuring an extended sweet spot for more power shots.”

“The 2022 Louisville Slugger LXT Fastpitch Bat is the latest evolution of a workhorse known for unmatched performance, a massive sweet spot and a best-in-class feel. Since it first launched in 2014, LXT has served all types of players – from beginners to Olympians on the world stage. Thanks to its consistency and durability, LXT has endeared itself to thousands of players over the last eight years, and those key characteristics live on in the 2022 model,” notes Headbanger Sports. 

2. Easton Ghost Advanced

Baseball Monkey loves this 2-piece composite fastpitch softball bat. Why? “The Ghost Advanced features Easton’s Double Barrel technology to create a bat with more barrel flex and higher performance. The two-piece ConneXion Evolution separates the barrel from the handle and provides the player with a forgiving barrel, elimination of vibration, and a great feeling at contact.”

According to Baseball Hover, “This bat is constructed with the highest-performing composite Easton has ever designed, and its attack performance is unmatched by any other bat on the market. This is the same composite they use on their slow-pitch softball bats.”

“Easton Ghost and Ghost Advanced are as usual the best fastpitch softball bats of the year. Both Ghost and Ghost Advance have Drop 11/-10 BALANCED & Drop 9/-8 END LOADED. The difference is of graphics on the barrel and the knob,” adds The National Pastime Museum. 

3. Louisville Slugger Meta

The Bat Nerds writes: “Louisville Slugger’s Meta is without a doubt one of the best fastpitch bats on the market today, and for good reason. As one of the best two-piece composite bats around, the Meta has successfully been tried and tested on the diamond for years. For 2022, a bunch of new updates have been made to this already amazing performer.”

“The 2022 Louisville Slugger Meta fastpitch bat features a unique Mash composite barrel. This composite material and construction are engineered to be the highest performing fastpitch barrel in the game with an unmistakable sound,” adds Baseball Savings. “An innovative gapped wall design features a cantilevered inner barrel that is not connected at the end cap, allowing it to translate on impact with a performance they describe as combining a trampoline with a diving board. The result is a massive sweet spot and ideal results on every swing.”

“Louisville Slugger Meta comes out of the package hot. The Mash Composite Barrel paired with the gapped wall design leaves space between the two barrels resulting in a more forgiving sweet spot. A trend through the bats thus far has been weight distribution, pop, control and durability. The composite barrel provides extra pop, and the bat is certified and usable in USSSA, ISA, NSA, ASA, and ISA competitions,” raves The Hitting Vault. 

4. Easton Ghost Unlimited

Baseball Monkey says this is one of the most popular bats for college ball. “This one-piece composite bat features Easton’s Double Barrel EXT to provide the player with the highest allowable performance across a larger hitting surface and bigger sweet spot. Easton has also included VRS1 to this bat which provides a lightweight reverse-engineered internal connection point.”

“The bat is lightweight, has good balance and finishing. Overall it has a nice construction undoubtedly,” adds The National Pastime Museum. “Talking about the best part, that is its performance; Ghost fastpitch bat performance has never been under question and it sounds great as well. Of course to gain its peak performance you’re gonna break in it completely, only then the real pop machine unlocks. Another thing I must appreciate is that it is the first ‘one piece ghost’ ever easton has made and they truly nailed it. As usual you get a 12 month warranty, in case of any catastrophic failure or manufacturing defect your bat gets.”

“One of the first major bats released for the 2023 season, the Easton Ghost Unlimited brings a fresh update on the mega-popular Ghost series. The first one in the series to be made from one-piece composite, Easton has taken a new approach with the Unlimited. Made from a new and immensely improved Sonic Comp MAX material, the Easton Ghost Unlimited improves durability, similarly to the Ghost Advanced,” writes All About Fastpitch. 

5. Rawling’s Mantra

Baseball Monkey says, “The 2023 Rawlings Mantra (-10) is one of the top fastpitch softball bats in the country, as it is swung by defending National Champion Oklahoma. Mantra features Rawlings’ Three Step Barrel Technology, which is a multi-step inner-tube design that optimizes performance and strength. The 2023 Mantra also includes Tuned Balance Performance, meaning that it has a 15% thinner outer wall, creating a trampoline effect.”

“This two-piece all-composite was 2021’s replacement for the Quatro Pro. There’s a lot to love about the Mantra, from the end cap to the handle. For starters, its multi inner tube design works well. For instance, the outer barrel is 15% thinner to give it more pop. Its connection piece (dubbed the F2 collar) coupled with that lightweight end cap both provide excellent balance and feel,” adds The Bat Nerds. “We also bought a Blast Motion Sensor for it (sold separately). The bat can be outfitted with this sensor, and through Mantra’s built in bat technology, twisting the sensor in the knob gives you access to valuable data via a mobile app to help better your swing. The Mantra is fabulous. This bat is well balanced, and the ball comes off the barrel extremely well with no sting.”

“People who don’t want to spend 500 bucks and want a fastpitch bat that performs quite similar to the Ghost Unlimited, Mantra 3.0 is for them. They claim to reduced the inner barrel thickness to 15% and yes it is an improved version of the 2021 Rawlings Mantra fastpitch bat. The two piece construction provides extra flex to the barrel preventing the stinging on mishit and the sound and Pop is top notch as well. Mantra 3.0 is a lightweight and balanced, when compared extensively with the 2023 Ghost it is not very far in terms of performance. Overall, I would say in this price it is the perfect fastpitch bat you’ll get this year,” writes The National Pastime Museum.

You might also be interested in:

• Best Softball Helmets
• Best Baseball Gloves
• Best MLB Baseball Players of All Time
• Best Women’s Tennis Players

Sources:

• Bat Digest
• All About Fastpitch
• The National Pastime Museum
• The Hitting Vault
• Baseball Bible
• The Bat Nerds
• Baseball Monkey
• Baseball Savings
• Headbanger Sports
• Baseball Hover

Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.