2019 Louisville Slugger Omaha 519 USSSA Bat Review

WPW Expert Reviews 09/06/2019

2019 Louisville Slugger Omaha 519 USSSA | $153

The Louisville Slugger Omaha 519 is a one-piece alloy with a larger barrel and average swing weight. Its simple construction makes it one of the more traditional bats you can find these days. In terms of construction, the 519 is essentially unchanged from years past, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The Look

The majority of the bat is gunmetal gray with red, white, and blue accents. I find it to be an interesting look.

Both sides of the barrel

The handle has an interesting graphic of thin white lines.

Knob/Handle/Grip

Louisville Slugger offers a fantastic stock grip on their bats that feels essentially the same as a thinner Lizard Skin grip. It has just the right amount of tack right out of the wrapper. It offers traction through some indentations on the surface. There is a very slight taper into the traditional knob. Since it’s a one piece, the bat can be a bit abrasive to the hands because of the harsher vibrations, but I feel that the grip does a solid job of absorbing these as much as possible.

The traditional knob

Feel/Swing Weight

The 519 is a balanced bat that offers a fairly low swing weight with a large barrel. Because it’s a one-piece, it’s a little more difficult to cut the weight down to the point of composite bats. While it’s not the lightest alloy bat that Slugger offers (the Solo 619 wins that category) the Omaha is still a light, controllable bat that is going to be able to be swung by every hitter. If you’re looking for the lightest Louisville Slugger one-piece, go for the Solo 619 instead.

Performance

The Omaha 519 has a more traditional feel that many one-pieces strive for. It provides a large barrel with a balanced swing weight that’s slightly on the heavier side. It’s a stiffer bat through the swing and at contact due to the one-piece alloy construction. Because of its balanced swing weight, it is rather easy to control. Still, you’re going to find a lighter bat in Slugger’s Solo 619 model in addition to some of the full composite options out there. One of the primary concerns with one-piece bats is that there will be too much vibration in the hands on mishit balls. I found the Omaha 519 to be very comfortable in this area. There will always be vibrations because it’s a one-piece, but I felt that the 519 minimized them to a point that they were much more comfortable. The barrel provides a solid hitting surface, meaning you’ll have some room for error on both sides of the sweet spot. On contact, the Omaha produces a full-bodied ping.

Conclusion

The Louisville Slugger Omaha 519 is a quality one-piece bat that I believe outperforms its price point. It has a simple, rugged construction that is resistant to breakage but is still a high-performance baseball bat. If you’re in the market for a one-piece bat, you will not be disappointed with the Omaha 519.