Baseball bat certifications are changing constantly, and it might be difficult to understand what these certifications mean. It would also be challenging to know which type of baseball bat you would need for your league. The first step you should take is to check the standard which your league uses. If you are not sure, you can always check in with the authorities in your league including your coach to learn about the necessary certifications. This way you can avoid getting a bat that might not be acceptable in your league.
But before you delve deep into understanding different certifications, another important thing that you should understand is the Bat Performance Factor (BPF). BPF is number that indicates the difference between hitting a ball with a bat, compared to simply pitching the ball against something solid such as a wall. For example, if the BPF of a bat is 1.20 this means that the bat can result in a rebound that is 20% faster. BPF is an important consideration for both softball and baseball.
Now let’s get started with a comparison of the three baseball bat certifications.
USABat
Effective from January 1st, 2018, Little League now uses the USABat certification standard. Under this certification, bats under any other standard that were previously used in the Little League activity would no longer be approved. This means that it is not illegal to use all USA bats that were made prior to 2018. The USA Baseball Association believes that the best way to ensure long term integrity of the game is to use bats that give wood-like standard of performance. Therefore all new bats are designed to give performance similar to BBCOR bats or wood bats.
USSSA, 1.15 BPF
The USSSA 1.15 BPF bats are wooden bats that are used during travelling and their barrel diameter does not exceed 2.75inches. Though you can find bats with a barrel diameter of 2.25 inches and 2.5 inches, none has a diameter of more than 2.75 inches. The new USA Bat rule does not affect this standard.
BBCOR, 0.50 BPF
BBCOR is an acronym for the Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution. This certification works towards standardizing the performance of high school students who use adult bats. With a BPF of 0.5, BBCOR measures the bat’s trampoline effect. Wooden bats are automatically classified as BBCOR bats if these bats are made up of a single, solid wooden piece. However BBCOR bats can be made using aluminum alloy or composite metal.
The original idea behind BBCOR certification is to ensure that non-wood bats perform as closely as possible to their wooden counterparts. And if you compare the diameter, a BBCOR bat’s barrel diameter cannot exceed 2 5/8-inches, and the length of the bat has to be under 36 inches.
