Sweet Swing

In the arsenal of ultralight aluminum bats, the Copperhead ACX from Worth is a uniquely high-tech weapon. The Copperhead, which costs $299, helps batters turn off-center stingers into hits by using an internal electronic shock absorber, the piezoelectric damper, that dissipates vibration and enlarges the sweet spot. The light-emitting diode (LED) in the knob tells the hitter that all systems are go.

This brainy bat will no doubt be a sizzling topic at high school rules committee meetings. It already fails to meet size and weight requirements adopted recently by the NCAA, which go into effect in August 1999. The new rules don't restrict the electronic-damper technology. Yet.