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USA Baseball Bat Standard Overview

Sep 27th 2017

USABat Standard - Overview


USA Bat Standard Overview


• Beginning January 1, 2018, participating National Member Organizations, which include the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Babe Ruth Baseball/Cal Ripken Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, Little League Baseball and PONY Baseball, will adopt the USABat standard for youth baseball and tee ball bats.

• Following the implementation of the new standard, only bats certified under USABat featuring USA Baseball’s mark will be authorized for play in youth leagues within the participating National Member Organizations (see your league rule book for detailed bat rules)

• For non-wood and multi-piece wood youth baseball bats (lengths 27” and longer), the USA Baseball mark signifies that the bat has undergone lab testing to confirm that it performs at a wood-like standard and has been certified under USABat.

• Retailers and licensed bat manufacturers may begin selling certified baseball and tee ball bats featuring the USA Baseball mark on September 1st, 2017.

• More information on USABat can be found here: USABat Standard
USABat Standard - Frequently Asked Questions

Which national member organizations are implementing this new standard? To date, the following organizations are participating


• Little League
• PONY Baseball
• Dixie Boys & Dixie Youth Baseball
• Babe Ruth Baseball & Cal Ripken Baseball
• American Amateur Baseball Congress


Why the change to a wood-like standard?

USA Baseball's national member organizations believe that a wood-like performance standard will best provide for the long-term integrity of the game. The new standard will not have a drop-weight limit, so young players can use bats made with light-weight materials.
Why not just use wood bats? Wood is a scarce resource. The new bats will be designed to perform much like wood, where its performance will be limited to the highest performing wood.

Will wood bats still be allowed?

Yes. Wood bats will still be approved for play under the new standard. Review your league’s specific bat rules for details on approved wood bats.

How is the USABat standard different from the BBCOR standard used by the NCAA and NFHS?

Both the USA Baseball and NCAA bat performance tests are based on the coefficient of restitution from a bat-ball impact. The scale of results is different, however, since they use different test balls and test speeds. The testing difference is necessary to address the various levels of play in the respective age groups.
Why is USA Baseball involved? The national member organizations asked USA Baseball as the national governing body to take the lead in this process to establish a new standard. Many other national governing bodies set and enforce standards for the equipment in their respective sports. To that end, USA Baseball established a Bat Study Committee of leading scientists and conducted theoretical modeling, field testing and lab testing. The committee shared its findings with the national member organizations, who then endorsed the new USABat standard.
Who were the scientists on the USA Baseball Bat Study Committee? Alan Nathan, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois Dan Russell, Ph.D. Professor of Acoustics at Penn State University Glenn Fleisig, Ph.D. Research Director of American Sports Medicine Institute

Why wait until 2018?

The implementation date of 2018 will allow bat manufacturers sufficient time to conduct the appropriate research, design, testing, manufacturing and shipping needed to get new bats into retail outlets. This date also allows the participating national member organizations adequate time to educate their memberships of the USABat standard.
Is my current bat good for league play? Yes. Current league-approved bats can be used through December 31, 2017.
Is safety the reason for the change? No. Youth baseball continues to be one of the safest of all sports for youth participants.

How will I know which bat to buy?

All new bats that bear the USABat licensing mark will be permissible for play in the leagues and tournaments of the participating youth baseball organizations.

Does the standard impact Tee Ball?

Yes. Under the USABat standard, certified tee ball bats will feature the USA Baseball mark and text which reads ONLY FOR USE WITH APPROVED TEE BALLS.

Can I use a Tee Ball bat that does not feature the USA Baseball mark?

All Tee Ball bats must feature the USA Baseball mark and accompanying text. Tee Ball bats that were produced and/or purchased prior to the implementation of the new standard can be certified using an Approved Tee Ball Sticker via the USA Baseball Tee Ball Sticker Program

What is the USA Baseball Tee Ball Sticker Program?

The USA Baseball Tee Ball Sticker Program is an initiative designed to allow for the continued use of tee ball bats that were manufactured prior to the implementation of the new USABat standard. This program will allow individuals and families to purchase approved stickers marked with the USA Baseball logo and language which reads: ONLY FOR USE WITH APPROVED TEE BALLS. Stickers will be available for purchase online via USABaseballShop.com beginning September 1, 2017.

About USA Baseball

USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Olympic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization’s official websites: USABaseball.com, USABaseball.Education, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.

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