A closer look at "bat rolling" after cheating accusations against UCF baseball

UCF baseball stands for the national anthem before its game against Georgia Southern on March 4. UCF has gone 6-2 since April 10.

UCF baseball found itself in the center of controversy earlier this month after the program was accused of altering bats.

Despite the current talk surrounding the Knights, UCF is far from the first team to be accused of using tampered equipment.

To prevent the use of altered bats, the NCAA has a three-step testing protocol to certify a team's bats for a specific game or series. While the testing has detailed requirements, a report from last season suggests there can be holes within the NCAA’s system, according to the Southeastern Fourteen.

What we know

The allegations of UCF using altered bats began when a former player accused a current UCF player of tampering with the bat certification process, according to a statement from head coach Greg Lovelady, which was first obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. The former player had video of the current player switching a tamper-proof sticker from a certified bat to a bat that had not been certified, according to the statement.

In the statement, Lovelady said the current UCF player, whose face was blurred in the video, was suspended for two games. Despite the video and the suspension, Lovelady said “we have no evidence of the use of illegal bats.”

Statement from UCF Baseball HC Greg Lovelady per news release: “I want to clarify some previous comments I made on this subject and provide additional detail and context.

Lovelady said in the statement that the allegations came after the former player decided to leave UCF as he was frustrated with his role on the team.

The statement from Lovelady clarifying the situation came after an interview with Trace Trylko from the Sons of UCF Podcast went viral on Twitter. The video, which is just under two minutes in length, was posted on April 10 and has amassed over 900,000 views and over 200 quotes and replies.

Lovelady spoke vaguely about the topic, initially offering no denial to the allegation, but said that disciplinary measures had been taken against the player.

“There’s some things that you can control and there’s some things that you can't control. We just handled everything internally. Things that we feel like we need to do better at, and some things that you just have no control over what other people say, whether they be true or not true,” Lovelady said in the video.

Internal Investigation: @UCF_Baseball HC Greg Lovelady comments on a former player's allegations that earlier this season the Knights used bats that had been altered. #UCF pic.twitter.com/BMzHTO2Kd0

How can a bat be altered?

The act of altering, or rolling, bats has been around for over 20 years, according to the Big Dawg Bat Rolling website, an online bat rolling and bat shaving service. Baseball and softball players realized that after a bat has been used to a certain extent, the barrel becomes more flexible and leads to a trampoline effect that can help a ball travel further off of used bat as opposed to newer bats, according to Big Dawg Bat Rolling.

According to the website, the barrel of a bat can become flexible by using it naturally, but compression machines have been made to create this flexibility instantly.

According to Big Dawg Bat Rolling, bat rolling increases a hit ball's distance by 20 to 40 feet and widens the sweet spot of the bat by up to 20%. By applying pressure during rolling, a bat rolling machine will break up the composite material inside the barrel of the bat.

With this added advantage, bat rolling has become so prevalent in baseball that there are now several websites and businesses that offer bat rolling services. Gorilla Bats, a website made to sell baseball and softball bats, also provides rolling services for bats at prices ranging from $49 to $105. Websites such as eBay have offers for rolled bats as well.

The NCAA bat testing protocol

Before every regular season series or single date of competition, all non-wood bats must be examined in accordance with NCAA standards, according to the NCAA Bat Testing Protocol.

The protocol states that the testing location is determined by the host and is communicated to all participating teams no less than 24 hours prior to the competition. Testing is conducted by the host with a team representative present. Coaches or representatives brings all bats to the location where the testing is conducted outside of the public view and away from fans and media, according to the protocol.

The NCAA's bat testing procedure has three parts: Visual inspection of the bat, ring test and barrel compression test, according to the protocol.

The visual inspection of the bat determines whether the bat is on the NCAA's approved bat list, as well as if there are any illegal attachments or marks. The ring test determines if the size of the bat's barrel is within regulation by passing a ring through the bat. If the bat passes all the way through the ring, it moves on to the barrel compression test, according to the protocol.

The last test determines whether the barrel's compression is within regulation by using a barrel compression machine. The machine will compress down on the barrel of the bat to measure the amount of pressure required to compress a bat, according to the protocol.

Once a bat passes all three tests, a sticker is applied to the handle area.

Potential holes within the testing process

The allegations surrounding UCF are just the most recent of a trending issue within college baseball.

Last season, Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck was ruled out after hitting a home run with a bat that did not have a sticker during a game against Vanderbilt on April 1, 2022. Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said in an on-air interview later in the game that the sticker must have fallen off during batting practice.

"There was no sticker on the bat," Beck said during the on-air interview. "You got to have a sticker. We've actually, since I've learned that, we've got a few bats that somehow conveniently the stickers have come off."

Tony Vitello with an all-timer explanation on why Jordan Beck's homer didn't count. The end is hilarious. #MikeHoncho pic.twitter.com/J4xIKfIq69

During the same season, Auburn's Mason Land was also called out for using a bat without a sticker in a game against Texas A&M on March 25, 2022. After Land reached first to avoid a double play, Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said catcher Troy Claunch noticed Land's bat did not have a sticker, according to an article by the TexAgs. Claunch then gave the bat to the umps who reviewed it and called Land out.

Auburn player was called out for “illegal bat” tonight in the 9th inning of tied game vs Texas A&M. I still have no idea what was “illegal” or the reason... pic.twitter.com/ENf5SqiRSq

With these instances occurring within a week of each other, questions were raised about the effectiveness of the NCAA's bat testing procedure and its certification stickers.

According to a report published on April 8, 2022 from the Southeastern Fourteen, an online media outlet covering the Southeastern Conference, Ben Brownlee, the NCAA’s assistant director of championships and alliances, playing rules and officiating, said the NCAA doesn't require a certain type of adhesive for its certification stickers. However, Brownlee said the NCAA does recommend a particular type of sticker that is destructible so that it cannot be easily transferred to a different bat.

As far as checking bats for stickers, Brownlee said it is based on whether a player or umpire notices a bat without a sticker. The rules don't instruct umpires to check for stickers on bats during a game, according to the report.

The report also said that there can be uncertified bats within a team's dugout that players sometimes use for batting practice. When asked if there was anything stopping a player from using a non-certified bat in a game, Brownlee said "there’s not something that would stop them, but they’re not following the rule."

With the controversy that has clouded UCF baseball, the season has progressed as scheduled with the only known punishment being a two-game suspension to a current UCF player. Despite the doubt that now surrounds the program, freshman pitcher Cameron Leiter said the team UCF has will power through the uncertainty after its 7-1 win over Stetson on April 11.

“If anyone wants to doubt us, then doubt us," Leiter said in a press conference made available on YouTube. "I love every single one of those guys and we have a great team. No matter what goes on we just stay the course. We got a great group of guys and we’re going to keep winning."

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