No, next season. And I don't know why they didn't make the change for this season knowing the huge decline in offense in the College game. I looked up testing done with it...

This has to do with drag effect which is less with the flat seam they will switch to in 2015

"The test was conducted with an average ball exit speed from a machine at 95 mph with a spin rate of 1,400 RPM and a launch angle of 25 degrees. These parameters were set because they replicate the settings of a typical home run or a hit that could become a home run.

The average distance the raised seam ball traveled was 367 feet while the average distance the flat seam ball traveled was 387 feet — 20 feet further."

The approved flat seam balls as I understand it will not have a higher COR, it wont be the .578 COR flat seam used in Pro ball, but I can't find any info other than the only approved change is going to a flat seam. In other words I haven't found any info on what COR, so I have to assume it is still .555

This post was edited on 2/26/14 at 12:58 am

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Posted by tigress77

Member since Sep 2013

322 posts

Posted on 2/26/14 at 1:27 am to tigress77

The test was done at Washington State, assuming its the Spokane campus. So its not an arid climate which would bolster the numbers; in fact their average rainfall and humidity is similar to ours.

It seems like a no brainer to have made the flat seam change when they changed the bats. I don't know why they could not have foreseen what has happened.
And Pitchers going to play pro ball have always had to make the adjustment to the flat seam pro ball.
It may be why the change though approved will take 'til 2015 to come into effect to give pitchers that time to adjust, just a guess on my part though.

And if anyone wonders why they don't just go to the pro ball? They only reason I can find is cost; $100 per dozen.

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Posted by KBeezy

Baton Rouge

Member since Dec 2004

13529 posts

Posted on 2/26/14 at 1:55 am to tigress77

quote:
The average distance the raised seam ball traveled was 367 feet while the average distance the flat seam ball traveled was 387 feet — 20 feet further."

20 feet farther IMO