The Catalyst Fastpitch has been redesigned from last year's Catalyst -8; the 2005 Catalyst minus-8 is no longer authorized for use in ASA while the 2006 Catalyst minus-10 is approved for ASA play.
It is designed similarly to the slow pitch model. The Catalyst is Louisville Slugger/TPS's first internally manufactured, hi-tech composite softball bat: everything from the design of the bat to the selection of the materials to the equipment used for manufacture was created and overseen by Louisville Slugger Composites Research & Development Lab. The ability to control every aspect of design and production ensures that each bat is consistently rendered to TPS's standards.
It is made from multiple layers of aerospace-grade graphite mixed and S-glass fibers which are embedded in a specially designed, toughened epoxy resin. Each layer of graphite is precisely positioned at an angle determined by an exclusive computer-designed pattern. That layout is what determines Catalyst's performance and durability.
It has a balanced swing weight. It has a long barrel with a traditional taper and a standard 7/8” handle with a synthetic grip. It is yellow and black with blue, white and black graphics.
It is available in 34”/24 oz, 33”/23 oz, 32”/22 oz and 31”/21 oz.
We hit the 34” version.
The new Catalyst minus-10 is Louisville Slugger's only ASA-approved fast pitch composite bat. It mimics the Catalyst minus-8, but is lighter, more balanced, and has been toned down to perform at ASA maximum allowable standards.
It is a bat for older, elite players, and that's who hit it - the Texas Heat Gold. This is a squad made mainly of big hitters, though it has some slap hitters in its lineup as well. And all of them, from the biggest to the smallest, thought highly of the new Catalyst -10.
“This is a bat all of the girls could use and most of them would,” remarked one of the Heat coaches. “We had 20 girls use it and none of them threw it on the wood pile.”
With many of them used to swinging heavier bats, there was surprisingly little adjustment time. The reasons were many: the balanced weight was easy to control, the lighter weight eliminated fatigue; and the sweet spot was easy to find. And for a 98-mph ball exit-speed bat, it got very good marks for performance.
“The ball doesn't come off the bat like it does with the (BPF 1.20 standard) Catalyst -8, but it is nicely balanced and most of the girls can keep up their bat speed,” said another coach.
Distance was good, but crisp line drives were the norm. The biggest power hitters said they were able to get more pop with other bats, but really liked the overall performance and the Catalyst -10's combination of performance and consistency.
“This is a great, balanced bat. It felt solid when contact was made. I seemed to hit line drives with this bat that would be ground outs with my old bat,” said one player.
“Simply, this bat is what I want,” said another.
After the power hitters weighed it, it was time for the slappers and they were happy as well. The new weighting made the Catalyst -10 a bat they could actually use where the end-weighted Catalyst -8 is not. Also, the responsive barrel lent itself to a swing designed simply to make contact with the ball and allow the bat to do the work.
“It is a good all around bat, even for slappers,” noted one hitter.
There were conflicting opinions on the look of the bat. One side felt the color scheme is nothing special; the other felt the bat was intimidating including the color.
But they could agree that it is a great bat for ASA play.
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