The ping might sing, but bats should be wooden.

So say the Eagle County Baseball League managers, who voted 11-1 to become a wooden bat league this summer. Wexford was the lone dissenting vote.

The 12-team league, which has existed since 1932, has used aluminum bats exclusively for about 18 years.

"I brought up the idea of wooden bats last year and it was voted down by a narrow margin,"said Eagle County League president and Saxonburg manager Dan Cunningham. "Teams felt the expense to buy wooden bats was something they couldn't handle.

"This year ... they know it's a better quality of baseball. This is definitely a positive thing."

They also know that more young players might be inclined to play Eagle County ball, as opposed to playing with wooden bats in Pittsburgh's Federation League or in semipro leagues in Beaver County or Indiana County.

"That's a factor, too,"Cunningham said. "Wooden bat baseball is becoming popular again. And younger guys want to get a feel for hitting with them."

Mars player-manager Rob Fester, 42, never played baseball with a wooden bat until playing in a Roy Hobbs Over-30 Tournament three years ago.

"The majority of guys in this league have never played with wooden bats,"Fester said. "A select few have used them on a limited basis.

"It's the way baseball is supposed to be played — the game was invented using wooden bats. With aluminum bats and technology, we've gotten away from that."

The most immediate impact wooden bats may have on the Eagle County League is lower scoring games.

Cunningham said home runs and extra-base hits will be drastically reduced.

"Balls won't get through the infield as fast, so infielders can play deeper,"he said. "Gap shots won't get out to the fence as much and a lot of doubles will become singles.

"Games will be played quicker. The quality of play will become better."

Cranberry manager Bill Clinefelter agreed. He has been playing in a 28-and-over wooden bat league in Beaver County for years.

"The Eagle County has always been a power league,"Clinefelter said. "Some teams hit over 100 home runs a season. Now, we'll become more of a small-ball league, using more bunting and stealing."

Wooden bats cost as little as $40 each, with more expensive ones reaching the $125 range. Cunningham said most aluminum bats cost $160 each.

Each team is expected to furnish six to eight wooden bats for its players.

"A lot of guys will wind up bringing their own,"Cunningham said. "Our research shows that a team goes through about 15 wooden bats for a 25-game season.

"Obviously, aluminum bats are more durable and can be used over a few seasons. But the general cost of bats, wooden vs. aluminum — there isn't that much difference."

Clinefelter has been using the same wooden bat for the past three seasons.

"It's a wood composite bat with a fiberglass mix and a reinforced maple core," Clinefelter said. "That type of bat costs a little more, but they are more durable."

Saxonburg's Curt Schnur was named the Eagle County League MVPlast season and has been one of its dominant pitchers for years.

He said he's thrilled the league is switching to wooden bats.

"There won't be as many cheap hits now,"Schnur said. "You can actually saw batters off without worrying about the ball being blooped over shortstop.

"The really good hitters aren't going to care what type of bat they're swinging."

Fester agreed.

"The home run numbers will drop, but good hitters will still be good hitters," he said.

The 2008 Eagle County League season begins in mid-May.