One of the biggest adjustments players in the Cape Cod League face coming from their collegiate teams is the shift from aluminum bats to wooden bats. In 1974, the NCAA switched from wooden bats to aluminum due to rising costs and longevity reasons. Major League Baseball continues to use wooden bats, as metal and aluminum bats are not allowed.
The shift from aluminum to wooden has not phased the Y-D Red Sox. In Thursday night’s win over the Falmouth Commodores, both Wehiwa Aloy of Arkansas and Jake Brown of LSU slugged home runs. Other big hits came from Oklahoma’s Easton Carmichael, who blasted a double to center field, and Texas Tech’s Cade McGee, who hit a game-tying RBI single.
UC Irvine’s Anthony Martinez, who made his 2024 Cape League season debut Thursday, also had a night at the plate. Martinez secured two RBI doubles, one of which put the Red Sox ahead for the rest of the game. The first baseman said the transition from aluminum to wooden bats has gone well for him, but he still wants to be deliberate.
“With wooden bats, you need to be a little more careful,” Martinez said. “Because if you don't barrel it, the ball is not going to go anywhere.”
Aloy said the wooden bats have been very different for him. During the regular season, he swung an aluminum two-piece bat — the handle and barrel being two separate pieces that are bonded together. He added that the two-piece bat gave him a bit of a flex, while the wooden bats were more stiff.
Despite this, Aloy cranked out a three-run home run with a wooden bat at the bottom of the seventh. The shortstop said even though he struggled for a couple of games at the plate, he remained patient and picked his pitch to hit.
“That home run loosened me up a lot,” Aloy said. “I've been kind of struggling lately, tensing up a little bit, but I just relaxed up there today — and it felt good.”
For Brown, he said aluminum bats are more forgiving than wood since they don’t break as easily. He added that, like aluminum, when you hit the sweet spot on a wooden bat, it is a great feeling.
Brown found the bat's sweet spot and knocked one out of the park during Thursday’s game, sending in two runs for Y-D. The outfielder said the hit felt great, as it was one of the first he had caught with a wooden bat so far.
“Everybody's out here hunting for that first hit, and once you get that, you feel like you can coast a bit more up there,” Brown said. “I think that's what helped me get two other hits today, it was just being more comfortable up there.”
The Red Sox have turned up the heat on offense the past two games, scoring a combined 19 runs. The lineup has now found a groove with the wooden bats, leaving the aluminum aside for the summer.
Photo by Sophie Solarino
