New Youth Baseball Bat Standard (USABat)

Effective Jan. 1, 2018

Please be aware that there will be a bat rule change effective next season (2018) that will impact all players that use a bat that is greater than a drop 3 (or -3) (note: drop 3 bats will still be required to have the BBCOR stamp, as they do today).  For next season, all bats that are greater than a drop 3 will required a new YBBCOR stamp.  Bats still cannot be greater than 2 5/8″ in diameter (so no 2 3/4’ in diameter bats).

Knowing this change is coming, we strongly recommend you do not buy a new bat for this 2017 season.  Any bat (greater than drop 3) purchased this 2017 season will not be legal in the 2018 season.

USA Baseball, the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the U.S., in conjunction with participating national member organizations just announced the decision to adopt a new method for measuring bat performance in the testing of youth bats. Informed by the research of leading scientists on the USA Baseball Bat Study Committee, and supported by its NMOs, — including the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Babe Ruth Baseball/Cal Ripken Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, Little League Baseball and PONY Baseball — USA Baseball has concluded that recent advancements in science, engineering, technology, and the materials available to fabricate non-wood bats, now allow the manufacturers to construct youth bats that can perform at a wood-like level through the entire range of lengths and weights of youth bats.

The new USA Baseball bat standard (USABat), which will apply to bats that are classified below the NCAA and NFHS level of play, will be implemented on January 1, 2018, allowing the bat manufacturers sufficient time to bring these bats to the marketplace.

Current league-approved bats can be used through December 31, 2017.  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.

Please keep in mind that any bat purchased for 2017 Play will not be allowed once this rule is implemented
This rule will not go into effect until January 1, 2018
The new YBBCOR bats with the stamp will begin to be available in September 2017

  • The logos on the bats will look like this:

We will forward all new or updated information to our program members as we recieve it.

More information about the new bat rule is available here.

Link: http://blog.justbats.com/new-youth-baseball-bat-standard-usabat-effective-jan.-1-2018