CEDARBURG, Wis. — Baseball season may be over, but if you listen closely you can still hear the crack of the bat. Depending on the wood you're using, that sound will be very different, with bats ...

Rawlings baseball bats have a big place in sports history. But now the ash trees used to make those iconic bats are threatened by an invasive beetle that's spreading in forests across the Northeast.

The Rawlings Bat Factory in Dolgeville, New York, Schumer’s home state, historically has turned out thousands of baseball bats made of ash wood, bats favored by many professional players.

Maple, Ash Baseball Bats May Strike Out The talk turns to baseball bats — including whether maple bats should be benched, and how a tiny bug may throw the bat-making industry a curve ball.

Library of Congress. In just a few years, the crack of the bat at the baseball park might be just that—the bat cracking to pieces. That’s because bats made of maple wood have a tendency to ...

On loan to Anthony Rizzo, a custom maple baseball bat designed for Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant kickstarted the scoring that brought the World Series to Chicago for the first time since 1945.

“Ash had been the most popular wood species used in Major League Baseball bats for more than a century,” notes Drane. “In the past decade, however, maple bats have become much more popular among ...

ESPN.com consulted bat experts -- including major league players -- to talk about the differences between maple and ash bats. Skip to main content Skip to navigation Menu ...