Baseball:

• For Minor (3rd/4th grade) and Major (5th/6th grade) Leagues:
  • Maximum diameter for a bat is 2-5/8"
  • Bats must be USSSA certified, that is, they have the 1.15 BPF stamp or
  • Bats must meet the new USA Baseball standard or
  • Bats must be wood (solid, one piece)
• For Pony (7th/8th grade) and Colt (high school) Leagues:
  • Maximum diameter for a bat is 2-5/8"
  • Bats must be USSSA certified, that is, they have the 1.15 BPF stamp or
  • Bats must meet the new USA Baseball standard or
  • Bats must be BBCOR certified or
  • Bats must be wood (solid, one piece)
• Big barrel (diameter of 2-3/4") bats are allowed for Cougars and at some Grizzlies Tournaments
  • Please check tournament and league rules to ensure your bat is compliant as those can vary.
  • Until further notice, USSSA tournaments and GameDay USA tournaments will allow USSSA certified bats.

Softball:

• Bats must have a 2-1/4" barrel diameter
• Bats cannot be longer than 34 inches
• Bats cannot be heavier than 31-1/2 ounces
• For Junior, Intermediate, Filly and Senior leagues:
  • Bats must have an ASA certification stamp or
  • Bats must have a USSSA 1.20 BPF stamp
• Travel players should check league and tournament rules to see which certification is required.

General:  

• Worn, abused, or damaged bats are never allowed. 
• Bats with foreign substances on the barrel/taper not allowed.

General:

• Are composite bats allowed?
  • Yes, as long as they are certified by one of the organizations listed above.
• Is there a bat drop restriction for house players?
  • As long as the bats meet the criteria stated above, there is no restriction on bat drop.
• What is bat drop?
  • The drop is the length of the bat in inches minus the weight of the bat in ounces.  For example, a 30 inch bat that weighs 20 ounces is a drop 10 or -10 bat.

Baseball:

• Why is LZBSA not requiring bats with USA Baseball certification?
  • In order to lessen the financial impact on our families, we are not mandating compliance to USA Baseball standards.  Eventually, the bat manufacturers will move to the new standards and any new purchases will be compliant with those standards.
• Will travel and part-time travel baseball players need to be compliant with USA Baseball standards?
  • USA Baseball certified bats are legal to use in USSSA events but not required.  Bats with a USSSA 1.15 BPF or BBCOR stamps are legal also.

When buying a bat for your player it is important to understand that bigger isn't always better when it comes to bat size and weight. Although players like to swing bigger bats, that doesn't always translate into helping them be successful at the plate. Having a lighter bat, especially in the younger age divisions is very important. Kids are still developing their hand-eye coordination and having a bat that they can manage is critical. Kids with bats that are too heavy often develop improper swing mechanics due to the weight of the bat.