DeMarini's 2022 ZOA is a two-piece composite bat that will be available in BBCOR and USSSA. USSSA versions of the bat in a drop 10, 8 and 5. All of the bats have great ratings with drop 5 and 8 leading the charge. The added weight of those lower drops makes gives hitters the right kind of confidence when attacking higher pitch speeds. Even still, the BBCOR and drop 10 do just fine and anyone with a limitless budget and in the market for a two piece composite should consider any version of the 2022 ZOA.
Models Overview
Our hitters love the big barrel and light swing of the 2022 DeMairni ZOA. In BBCOR, the bat is a hit---the stiffer connection and light swing make big fans of the kids who need as much bat speed as they can find. Although it didn't wow us anymore than the $50 less expensive CF, the ZOA feels great in USSSA and will for sure take market share from those who don't like the history of the durability of the CF.
Construction & Technology
We don't know much about the 2022's construction just yet, but we know it has a redesigned end cap, barrel, connection piece, and handle compared to something like the CF. This is a composite bat with a large barrel and, at least in non-DL versions, a light swing.
Performance Comparison
There is no version of the ZOA for 2021 or previous. The ZOA is a new bat line started in 2022 beginning with BBCOR.
Comparable Bats
The most comparable bat is the CF from DeMarini and Slugger's Meta. Both are designed by the same major company (Wilson), and both have that big barrel and light swing.
Expert Recommendations
Although pricey, we expect the ZOA a good fit for the BBCOR or USSSA player who wants a bat like the CF or META but doesn't want either the CF or the META. The CF had a very flexible connection and gets bad reviews because of it---despite hitting the ball about as hard as any BBCOR bat. It follows, then, that the ZOA is for a hitter that wants a big barrel, light swing, great feel on every hit, and the latest and greatest that DeMarini offers.
The Bottom Line
System override. Introducing the 2022 DeMarini Zoa (-5) USSSA Baseball Bat, a bold addition to the composite USSSA lineup. Zoa (-5), the bat designed for advanced travel ball players on the cusp of transitioning to BBCOR, brings DeMarini’s Continuous Fiber Composite Barrel technology to the USSSA game. Through its technologically advanced construction process, Continuous Fiber Composite offers an elongated barrel profile and larger optimized hitting area. The stiff composite material maximizes energy transfer on contact, allowing the 2022 Zoa to deliver extreme consistency and performance.
