College teams to wear Nike’s new Vapor Elite Uniforms

In a continuing effort to provide the most innovative and progressive uniforms possible, Nike has unveiled the Vapor Elite Uniform, which will be worn by select college baseball teams beginning this week.

Nike’s past efforts have been mainly focused on football and basketball uniforms, but that changes here with the Nike Vapor Elite jerseys and pants and that could be big news for baseball moving forward.

[2016 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is open for business. Sign up now]

Nike’s ultimate goal is to create a uniform that’s lighter, more flexible, more breathable and simply more comfortable for athletes performing at a high level. That would be especially helpful to spring and summer sports, specifically baseball and softball, where warm temperatures can make life uncomfortable on the field.

Here’s more from Nike:

The Nike Vapor Elite Jersey is made of stretch woven fabric and tailored for maximum mobility with minimal weight. The elimination of side seams reduces arm abrasion and a full mesh back panel and mesh gussets underneath the arms enable breathability. A shaped hem reduces distracting bulk around the waist.

Twenty percent lighter than traditional knit pants, the Nike Vapor Elite Pant features a stretch woven fabric and targeted articulation for maximum mobility. The pant is also available in a throwback high version, equipped with an elastic gripper at the bottom of the cuff, allowing the pant to be worn above the sock. Ventilation in the rear knee facilitates thermoregulation, while forward-facing side seams help reduce drag when sliding.

The attention to detail is remarkable and the final product itself should be of interest to all baseball leagues.

The University of Oregon, University of North Carolina and Vanderbilt University teams will be sporting the new uniforms this weekend, giving us our first look and our first sense of how effective the uniforms will be.

Nike also says each piece of apparel will work with the others to enable faster actions and heightened performance on the field. How that all works and feels will be something else we’ll learn this weekend after they’ve been played in.

At this point, there’s a mix of anticipation and excitement surrounding the uniforms as the debut date nears, and it’s clear Nike is confident they will be a hit.

[Warning: Don’t park near the field when Kyle Schwarber takes BP]

As for the look of the uniforms, they aren’t bad. Perhaps they aren’t for everyone, but you could imagine worse based on the design of some college football uniforms we’ve seen recently. The most important thing here though is comfort and performance, so the true judgment will have to wait a few more days.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: