Summarizing the USA Bat Standard!
In this article, we aim to summarize the most important parts of the new bat standard change. If you already know all of the rule changes, please feel free to check out our reviews on the latest 2018 youth bats that are approved for play in the 2018 season!
Although 2017 was a good year, we are only a couple months away from 2018. In January 2018, Little League, American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, PONY, and Dixie Youth Baseball will be implementing a new rule change to all bats in the upcoming season.
Please note, USSSA Youth Baseball, Travel Ball, or the Senior League Baseball Division Teams will not be following this rule change to the bats, so those parents and kids should have nothing to worry about.
The new USA Bat Standard comes amidst long scientific studies by the Bat Study Committee. These studies, which are almost identical to the National Collegiat Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Federation of State High School Sports Association (NFHS) BBCOR standard prove to lower the differences between different lengths of bats. They aim to provide youth hitters with a more consistent approach of bat performance and allow the youth baseball organizations to "reach their goal of establishing a wood-like standard."
Also new in 2018, an umpire will be required to inspect all bats used before the game starts. All new 2018 youth bats will come with a USABat label. These labels will come in three color-ways:
We hope that this information has helped you understand the new rule changes coming in early 2018. If you feel like we haven't answered anything covered in this article, please feel free to reach out to us on our 'contact us' page. We want to wish your kid the best of luck this upcoming season, and we hope to see you soon!