USSSA Baseball Bat New Mark Rules*

Big Barrel Bat Rules (2⅝” or 2¾”) – 14U & Below Have the new permanent(2) USSSA Mark on its taper OR Be a Qualified BBCOR bat(1) OR Be a Wood Bat ALL of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee This applies to ALL Big Barrel Bats, including Coach Pitch bats. Big Barrel Bat Rules (2⅝” or 2¾”) – 15U & Above Must be NHSF approved with the appropriate BBCOR certification mark OR Be a Wood Bat Both of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee Small Barrel Baseball Bat Rules (2¼” or less) Have the new permanent(2) USSSA mark on its taper(3) OR Be a Wood Bat Both of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee *Bats which meet these rules will be allowed in USSSA play, unless the bat is listed on the USSSA Withdrawn/Non-Compliant Bats List (found under Licensed Equipment – New Bat Rules section of the USSSA Baseball website) as a bat withdrawn by the manufacturer or found by USSSA to be non-compliant. No bat is legal in USSSA if there is any ball suggestion, limitation or requirement on the bat in permanent or other form placed on the bat by the manufacturer or otherwise set forth in any written materials of the manufacturer about the use of a bat.

(1) Qualified BBCOR bat – A Big Barrel bat that is made by a USSSA approved bat licensee, has a BBCOR mark permanently attached to the bat that is recognized by NHSF as a legal bat for NHSF sanctioned play and has no more than a minus 3 ounces difference from the length of the bat. Minimum bat length is 29 inches. With the approval of USSSA National, certain 14U and an even more limited number of 13U tournaments may be run allowing only BBCOR and wood bats from approved USSSA Bat Licensees.

(2) USSSA marks and other graphics of the bat must be applied permanently and must be applied by the USSSA licensed manufacturer. No stickers or decals are allowed and no one may add graphics to a bat once manufactured. Use of a bat with graphics not applied by the manufacturer will be use of an altered bat and subject to suspension under the USSSA Altered Bat rules. In addition to being violation of the USSSA Altered Bat rules, any use, creation or application of a USSSA mark without written permission of USSSA is a violation of Federal Trademark law and may result in prosecution by USSSA. If you have any concern about the person selling or providing you a bat, do  not accept the bat, because you  will be held responsible for any bat you bring into or use in a  USSSA facility.

(3) In 2014, 23” and shorter small barrel tee ball marked bats do not require a USSSA New Mark, but tee ball bats longer than 23” do require the New Mark. But in no event may a bat be used in USSSA sanctioned play if it is not manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee.

(4) In the discretion of USSSA National Office, certain under 15U USSSA tournaments and league play may be designated BBCOR only and beginning January 1, 2018, USSSA 14U (and only 14U) will have an additional limit to the 14U USSSA Baseball Bat New Mark Rules requiring 14U bats no have a greater weight to length (ounces to inches) differential greater than minus 5 (-5).

Updated 12/1/2016