NEW YORK — College baseball’s pings will have a little less zing this season.

New aluminum bats designed to improve player safety will be in full swing as the road to the College World Series began Friday with season openers around the country. And don’t expect to see as many big blasts when you head to the ballpark.

“I think most people will tell you their home run totals were down this fall by at least 50 percent, some more,” said coach Ray Tanner of defending national champion South Carolina. “It remains to be seen what exactly is going to happen. Pitching and defense will always give you a chance to win. It may be even at a greater premium.”

The new bats mandated by the NCAA replace the lightweight composite models used in recent years, when the focus was on the differential between bat weight and length. Now, they’ll perform even more like wood, with shrunken sweet spots that will decrease the exit speeds of the ball off the bat.

That means lower power numbers and ERAs while everyone learns to adjust.

“I think the guys that can hit will still hit,” said TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle, who wasn’t in favor of the new bats. “But certainly there’s going to be fewer balls leaving the ballpark than in years past.”

Plenty of coaches and players said they understood the safety issues involved, but didn’t think the move was necessary.

“Offense is something that makes college baseball a little different than professional baseball, and I think fans enjoy that,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “I didn’t want to see the bats change.”

But Mainieri also says that after watching his players use the bats, he isn’t sure the change will be that dramatic.

“The game is still going to be a very fundamental game,” he said. “We’re not going to sit around and wait for the three-run homer like in the past. We’ve got to get them on, get them over and get them in.”

And that won’t be the only big difference in college baseball this year. In an effort to shorten games, which soar past the three-hour mark on average, the NCAA has introduced a pitch clock. Pitchers will have 20 seconds, with no one on base, to throw a pitch or umpires will call it a ball. It’ll be a strike if a batter violates the rule by stepping out of the box.

Teams will also have 90 seconds to change sides between innings during non-televised games.

“If your catcher just flew out and he’s rounding second or getting to second base on a flyout or he was at second as a runner, I think you have a shot if you’re not paying attention to be challenged between innings,” Kentucky coach Gary Henderson said. “But it’s going to speed the game up, there’s no question.”

Even the destination every college baseball player and coach has envisioned reaching for the last 61 years — Rosenblatt Stadium — has changed. The longtime home of the College World Series is being replaced by the new TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha, a 24,000-seat ballpark that includes 30 luxury suites and 2,500 club seats.

To many, it’s a clear sign that the sport is thriving.

“You don’t build a $125 million new stadium in Omaha unless you’re successful,” Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. “You don’t negotiate new TV contracts unless you’re successful, and college baseball is very successful. It’s the future stars of Major League Baseball. Our product is great, but it’s a big secret. It’s not a secret to the college fans. It’s not a secret to athletic directors who are spending millions to build new facilities. So, we’re healthy.”

Tanner’s Gamecocks have been done celebrating the school’s first College World Series title for months. With a handful of starters returning, including outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. and Evan Marzilli, South Carolina now has its eyes on a return to Omaha.

“Last year became magical,” Tanner said. “We played as good as we can play at the right time of the year. Certainly, we know how difficult it will be to repeat. … The deal is, you just try to get in position.”

And there are plenty of teams aiming to be where South Carolina was last June, such as national runner-up UCLA, led by aces Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer; Florida’s powerful squad with sluggers Brian Johnson, Austin Maddox and Preston Tucker; and TCU, which made its first College World Series last year behind the blazing fastball of freshman lefty Matt Purke.

Other players who could play key roles in whether their schools break in the new stadium in Omaha include Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon, Texas hurlers Cole Green and Taylor Jungmann, Connecticut outfielder George Springer and Cal State Fullerton righty Noe Ramirez.

One thing’s for sure: all the changes and overall parity should make for one batty season.

“I think there will be surprises,” said Texas’ Augie Garrido, the winningest coach in Division I history. “I think that’s one of the fascinating things about baseball in general, that teams come together unexpectedly and championships are decided by the unexpected.”