Now that the new calendar year is well under way, a new baseball season is fast approaching. College games and the start of spring training are right around the corner.
This year, the excitement of a new season remains the same. However, there are important changes to note regarding youth bats that are legal for use in most leagues for players before the high school and collegiate levels.
Players 14 years old and younger in Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth & Cal Ripken, PONY, Dixie leagues and the American Amateur Baseball Congress now are required to use bats marked with a USA Baseball- certified stamp. The performance standard changes, called USABat, took effect Jan. 1 in preparation for the upcoming season. A list of approved bats is available online at USABaseball.com.
