My 8yo started playing this year. She's pretty strong (55", 73lbs), and played the rec season with a 28/18 Easton alloy bat. She made the All-Star team, and is developing a more compact swing. I was a little leery about spending $100-ish on another 28" bat because she's been growing a lot (3 pairs of cleats since March). Over the past 2 weeks, I've been having her try some of the composite bats of her teammates (Easton Synge 28/16.5 and 29/17.5, TPS Mendoza 29/17, DiMarini Bustos 29/16). Not surprisingly, she liked the Synge 29 best. I'm hoping it lasts through Fall Ball - LOL