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Philadelphia Phillie Jimmy Rollins is scheduled to try to break the Guinness World Record of 576 feet for the longest batted ball in baseball on April 13, with the help of research by Lloyd Smith, an associate professor in Washington State University's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and director of the university's "Bat Lab," also known as the WSU Sports Science Laboratory.
Red Bull created the event, Red Bull Ball Park Cranks, in support of Rollins, the only professional baseball player in its endorsement fold.
"While technically breaking the rules of Major League Baseball, the researchers tested bats until they found the highest performing composite baseball bat and the best performing baseball," the university said in a news release. They then softened the bat's barrel to increase performance even more and weighted it to feel like Rollins' normal wooden bat.
"We tuned the bat up to give it some extra umph," Smith said in the release.
University of Illinois physicist Al Nathan calculated Rollins' swing speed by studying records of the ball speeds that Rollins has hit in past games, allowing researchers to predict how far the Phillie might hit the ball with the juiced bat.
Rollins won't break the record, Smith predicted. "I'm guessing that he'll hit it between 500 and 550 feet."
Guess they should have tapped Ryan Howard.
Red Bull created the event, Red Bull Ball Park Cranks, in support of Rollins, the only professional baseball player in its endorsement fold.
"While technically breaking the rules of Major League Baseball, the researchers tested bats until they found the highest performing composite baseball bat and the best performing baseball," the university said in a news release. They then softened the bat's barrel to increase performance even more and weighted it to feel like Rollins' normal wooden bat.
"We tuned the bat up to give it some extra umph," Smith said in the release.
University of Illinois physicist Al Nathan calculated Rollins' swing speed by studying records of the ball speeds that Rollins has hit in past games, allowing researchers to predict how far the Phillie might hit the ball with the juiced bat.
Rollins won't break the record, Smith predicted. "I'm guessing that he'll hit it between 500 and 550 feet."
Guess they should have tapped Ryan Howard.
