OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The new flat-seam ball in college baseball is having the desired effect, with teams hitting 40 percent more home runs so far this season. The NCAA announced Wednesday that teams are hitting a home run about every other game. Last year, teams homered about once every three games through the first three weeks of the season.

The actual average is 0.47 home runs per team compared with 0.33 at this point in 2014. Last season’s final average of 0.39 per team was a record low. The NCAA approved use of the flat-seam ball in an attempt to punch up a game that has seen steep declines in offense since new bat standards took effect in 2011. Studies show the flat-seam ball travels 20 feet farther than the old raised-seam ball.