Collegiate summer baseball and the Major Leagues have one overarching commonality: the use of wooden bats.
When the NCAA approved the use of aluminum bats in 1974—primarily because they last longer, produce higher velocity, and allow for more customization to fit different hitting styles—wooden bats quickly became a thing of the past.
This ruling didn’t last in the Cape Cod Baseball League, though. In 1985, the CCBL passed a rule requiring players to use wooden bats, despite the NCAA allowing aluminum bats. This reversal to wooden bat usage made it the only summer league in the United States to use wooden bats at the time.
Now, most collegiate baseball leagues across the country require wooden bats.
This means players have to make a switch in a matter of weeks from hollow, generally lighter aluminum bats to fuller, heavier wooden bats, which forces players to refocus on swing mechanics and regain a sense of comfort at the plate. For those playing collegiate summer baseball for the first time, this is likely their first summer with a wooden bat.
Tommy Goodin, who just finished his sophomore season at Vanderbilt University, is a summer baseball veteran.
Last summer, he played for the Academy Barons of the California Collegiate League, meaning he’s familiar with the wood.
Opening day was Goodin’s first game using a wooden bat since last summer, where he went 0-for-3 with one walk in his first game—a different version of himself seen at Vanderbilt this past season.
In 2026, he was a menace for the Commodores’ offense, where he recorded .287/.353/.580 for a .933 OPS, 12 home runs, and 36 RBI. His ability to hit for power, as shown this past season, deems him an asset for Y-D’s lineup to drive in runs.
Goodin explained that getting comfortable with a wooden bat after months of using aluminum isn’t always easy.
“It's definitely a transition,” he said.
But Goodin’s not worried. In fact, he’s excited.
His excitement around the bats clarified that they aren’t only physically heavier, but come with emotions, pressure, and a taste of what many of these players have spent their lives dreaming of: pro-ball.
“I love [hitting with a wooden bat] because it’s just, I feel like it’s just very authentic,” he said. “It's just something about a wood bat.”
For Goodin, combining the lumber with the “atmosphere” of CCBL games filled with fans, scouts, and a common love for baseball allows him to dip his toes into how he imagines the Big Leagues feel.
“This is like the closest place it feels like to minor league ball,” Goodin said. “It kind of does feel like pro-ball, especially here.”
Other Y-D players are handling the bat transition well, like KJ Scobey (University of South Carolina), who hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, and John Beverly (Georgia State), who went 2-for-4.
