OMAHA, Neb. – College baseball is on pace to set a record for fewest home runs and a 40-year low for scoring and batting average. Now some coaches want to see a livelier ball to bring the numbers back up.
The switch to toned-down metal bats in 2011 has led to an offensive decline greater than many expected. Clemson coach Jack Leggett says the game isn't as exciting as it used to be.
Leggett is leading an effort to adopt the ball used in baseball's minor leagues. That ball has flat seams and a harder core, which he says makes it conducive to greater flight than the college ball. No change could be made until the 2015 season.
Division I teams entered April averaging one home run about every three games. In 2010 the average was about one per game.
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