With College World Series on deck, AP survey finds most top programs prefer metal bats to wood

AP: Top college coaches prefer metal bats to wood

OMAHA, Neb. — If coaches at the top U.S. college baseball programs have their way, the ping of the aluminum bat will forever remain a part of the game.

According to an Associated Press survey of 24 coaches whose programs have won 1,000 or more games since 1985, 17 said they preferred aluminum and that there was no need to study the possibility of going to wood bats.

Earlier this year, Division II commissioners began looking at going to wood, perhaps as soon as 2012. The Division I coaches who talked with the AP suggest that’s not going to happen at the top level of the sport.

The move comes as eight teams prepare for the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.: Florida, Florida State, TCU, Arizona State, UCLA, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Clemson.