The 2017 Marucci Hex Connect brought aerospace-grade composite technology to baseball with a unique thermal treatment process. This two-piece design offered a different feel from mainstream composites while delivering elite performance.
Models Overview
The Hex Connect featured Marucci's thermal-treated composite barrel with their SDX connection system. The end-loaded design catered to power hitters seeking something different from typical composite bats.
Construction & Technology
The Hex will NOT be released in a BBCOR. Rather, only a Senior League (2 5/8) and Big Barrel (2 3/4) version in a drop 10. High school and collegiate players might be disappointed by that news, but they should remember Marucci's big push in the drop 3 space is the Marucci CAT 7 and the new Marucci CAT 7 Connect. If it's the soft feel Marucci's new two-piece design players are after, the same connective SDX tech found in the Hex Connect can be found in the CAT 7 Connect which does come in BBCOR.
Performance Comparison
In 2015, Marucci released a bat called the Marucci HEX Composite. This was a single-piece composite bat with a monster barrel. We are big fans. The Hex Connect, we could argue, is just a step away from the 2015 Hex. Its stark difference is the two-piece nature of the bat and the added tech inside the connective piece.
Outside of that stretch comparison, it's reasonable to suggest the Hex Connect is a new bat altogether from Marucci. Their foray into the gigantic two-piece composite space with an oversized barrel and light swing isn't surprising at all.
Comparable Bats
All major bat companies, save Combat, produce a top-shelf two-piece composite bat whose focus is a big barrel and a light swing. The Easton MAKO, DeMarini CF sets, and Louisville Slugger's 917 Prime are three of the most common examples. As such, those three bats are comparable to the Hex Connect.
Further, the 917 from Slugger also uses a unique connective design, like the Marucci Hex Connect, to encourage sting dampening. Slugger calls this their TRU3 (you can see that explanation here). This makes the Slugger's 917 the most comparable bat to the 2017 Marucci Hex Connect.
