Two of the most often asked questions are: “How do I make my bat last as long as possible?” or “Why did my bat break?” Both questions really come back to the same answer.
First off, there is a proper way to orient your bat when making contact and there is a wrong way. Label up/down is ALWAYS the correct way. With Maple and Birch you will notice that the label is put on the edge grain (radial grain) and with Ash it is put on the face grain (tangential grain). No matter the species of wood that your bat is made out of, using the correct grain orientation will ensure you are using the strongest grain possible when hitting a baseball. With Maple and Birch, tests have shown to increase the strength of the bat by 30% (that’s significant) when making contact with the face grain. The vast majority of breakages we see have the incorrect logo orientation (facing front or back) when the bat breaks and the break will run through the ink dot on Maple and Birch bats.
The other focus should be on location of contact. Balls hit off the end of the bat will cause the bat to bend past it’s impact bending strength and increase the likelihood of breakage. Getting jammed will also have the same effect on the bat. Hitting the ball on the barrel is the ultimate goal. Chasing pitches outside the strike zone is a recipe for early breakage as well.