Marucci CAT7 Silver USSSA Senior League Baseball Bat - Lightweight & Durable for Power Hitting - Perfect for Competitive Games & Training Sessions

This bat is everything it is supposed to be. It is balanced rather than end-loaded and one-piece alloy rather than composite. Both plusses for us as we we were looking for a -5 bat (required for MS sports) that "swings light" and can be used during the clod months. MMy son is a young, small 11 yo 6th grader who has just worked his way up to -8. So, the forced jump to -5 for school sports has been a big concert. Not only is the increased weight a factor, but -5 bats don't seem to exist <30". My son was still swinging a 28/-10 Easton Beast X. So, we're talking a 7 oz. jump!We now have a 29/-8 LS Select, a 30/-5 LS Select and this 30/-5 Marucci Cat 7. Having swung a gaggle of -8 bats along the way, this CAT7 swings lighter than most of the -8 bats even though it is an inch or two longer in addition to the 2 oz. weight differential (please also factor in that we are choking up the CAT7 to the appropriate/equivalent length for him). I attribute 100% of the usability if CAT7 in terms of swing weight to the fact that the CAT7 is a truly balance bat. Almost every other bat on the marker is end loaded causing them to swing much heavier (maybe 2 even oz heavier). (incidentally this is the exact reason we are swing the USA LS Select. This model is also more balanced than competitors and will serve my son well in rec ball where USA bats are required. But, should he battle his way onto the MS team he'll be using this CAT7).Off the tee, soft toss, machine and live arm my tiny 11 y/o seems to be able to hold his own with this CAT7 in his arsenal on a field that seems to swallow him up.The construction is fantastic as well. The handle, wrap and knob are build with vibration dampening in mind and my son reports it is the most comfortable bat he's ever hit with. That is saying something because the main reason we went to 2-piece bats with composite handles was to dampen the vibration in summer. It's mid-winter and this one-piece alloy CAT7 is comfortable to swing!I know it is 2 models old. But, it was the best thing going when it was introduced and it's not like the game changed all that much over the time span for the two newer models. So,the price is right to pick up this CAT7 which is still among the best bats available.