I'll start with taping the barrel when not in a live game situation. I've learned this from others, and I'm looking for more as I'm getting a wood bat in the near future.

hit it on the barrel and it will last forever.

theres not much you can do, taping the barrel does help in some cases.

Get two bats. One for practice and one for games. Even better if you can get 3-4.

Taping the barrel is all you can really do. And the more hits on the barrel it wont break, taking bad swings will break it. When I first started using wood bats, I broke the first in a month, then the second in like a month and a half, and they kept going longer. I always buy cheap Louisville MLB9AS' cause I get them for $15 and just use them in the cage. I have a George Brett Bamboo bat that I've been using since September and it hasn't cracked or broke, but I had to tape the barrel because the rubber coated balls and the batting cage, left little dinks in it.

It is a rather commonly known fact that maple is stronger than ash, and should last longer. But, it is known by very few that a brand new ash bat is stronger than a brand new maple bat. The more you use maple in batting practice, the stronger it will be. I suggest taking 30-40 swings with a maple bat off of a tee before you even use it for B.P. As far as ash goes, if you are planning on using it during a game, don't bother taking B.P. with it. Hit with it during a game when it's brand new. If you are using Ash bats for B.P., w/ no intentions of using it during a game, then a good tape job will do the trick. But, I suggest switching to maple.
Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

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