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COLUMBIA (WACH) – Before the 2011 season began baseball experts predicted new bats would decrease the number of home runs, soften offensive numbers and significantly drop batting averages.

Now more than halfway through the college season – those expectations have been met.

“At this point it seems home runs are down 50 or 60 percent. Batting averages are 25 points off the pace and the distance on balls is about 25 feet less when you square up the same ball a year ago,” said Gamecock head baseball coach Ray Tanner.

Starting this year, college baseball teams across the country began using new less-potent bats.

The bats are measured with a new Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) standard, which measures the velocity of the ball coming off the bat.

BBCOR bats are designed so that the baseball will have less exit speed coming off the bat.

To put things in perspective statistically – the Gamecock baseball team will have to hit 62 more homers and score 243 more runs the rest of the season to catch up to last years totals.

AC Flora baseball coach Andy Hallett is following the college game a little more closely than usual this season.

That’s because next year, high schools across the country will have to make the transition to the new bats.

“I watch Jackie Bradley Jr. and some of those other guys that are struggling with it for different reasons I’m sure. But just the change at that level and what it’s done to them, it’s a little scary as a high school baseball coach, wondering what its going to do to us,” said Hallett.

Hallett says his players’ mentality is what concerns him the most.

“What worries me is that you’re going to have a lot of kids in high school, who already live and die on every at bat anyhow and convince them that a .250 batting average is good,” said Hallett.

But Hallett says he know the change is coming and he and his team will have to change with it.

“We’ll adjust, just like everyone else has and hopefully we’ll pitch good and play good down the dirt,” said Hallett.