Effective immediately, the bats depicted below have been decertified by USA Baseball and are no longer approved for play in leagues that have adopted the USABat Standard, including but not limited to the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Babe Ruth & Cal Ripken Baseball, Dixie Youth & Dixie Boys Baseball, Little League Baseball, NABF Baseball, and PONY Baseball.
On January 1, 2018, USA Baseball implemented the USABat Standard for non-wood youth baseball bats. Under USABat, approved bats that feature the USA Baseball mark are performance tested and required to perform at a wood-like standard. The bats listed below have been compliance tested and ruled non-compliant under the USABat Standard.
Team representatives are asked to check your team’s bats and withhold these bats from play if your team is in possession of any. League administrators are asked to share this information with your umpires. If any of these bats are attempted to be used during competition, it should be considered an illegal bat and subject to league rules regarding the use of illegal or unapproved bats.
30-Inch Easton Ghost X (-10) 2 5/8” (YBB18GX10 & LL18GHX)
The Easton Ghost X 30/20 YBB18GX10 and LL18GHX 30/20 2 5/8” has been decertified by USA Baseball and is no longer an approved bat under the USABat Standard. This applies to the 30” (-10) length of the Ghost X YBB18GX10 and LL18GHX. All other certified lengths and drops of the Easton Ghost X USABat remain approved for play. A full list of approved bats can be found at https://USABat.com
Customer Information: Any questions regarding returns, refunds or warranty claims for the Easton Ghost X 30/20 should be directed to Easton EASTONPR@EASTON.COM. Any questions regarding this decertification may be directed to USA Baseball at USABat@USABaseball.com.
More information from Easton regarding this decertification can be found at http://news.easton.com/info/contact-us
How are USABats certified?
Bats must undergo performance testing and receive a final approval from USA Baseball to receive USABat certification. A bat maker’s first step in this process is to produce a bat design sample and submit it to the Washington State University (WSU) Sports Science Lab for performance testing. Submissions that pass USA Baseball’s Performance Test Protocol become eligible for certification. To clarify, this means the bat has been performance tested in a controlled lab setting to confirm that it performs at a wood-like standard. The bat maker must then send a sample of the same design to USA Baseball for final approval of graphics. USA Baseball’s certification gives the bat maker rights manufacture the same design for retail sale that passed testing at WSU with the graphics that were approved by USA Baseball as well as add the USA Baseball mark on the bat’s handle. All approved bats are added to the USABat Approved List at USABat.com.
How does a bat decertification happen?
In order for USA Baseball to ensure the integrity of the USABat standard, USA Baseball reserves the right to compliance test any bat on the USABat approved bat list at any time. Compliance tests are undertaken to ensure that production bats sold at retail meet the USABat standard and are identical to the bats submitted by the manufacturers during the initial certification process. In the event of a compliance test, select bat models are purchased at retail and tested at the Washington State University Sports Science Lab using the original certification test process. If the test reveals the bat model being sold at retail does not comply with USABat performance and design requirements, the bat is deemed noncompliant and the decertification process begins.
What does bat decertification mean?
Bat decertification means that production bats being sold at retail of a previously approved USABat model are not in compliance with the USABat standard. To clarify, the USABat standard requires that bats manufactured for retail sale match the design that was initially certified by USA Baseball in both performance and design. Once a bat model has been decertified, it is no longer approved for play in leagues that have adopted USABat and subject to league rules concerning the use of illegal or unapproved bats.
When is a bat decertification announced?
USA Baseball is obligated to announce a bat decertification once compliance testing has been completed and USA Baseball receives conclusive evidence that a bat model is not compliant with the USABat standard.
Why not wait until the end of the season to announce a bat decertification?
Both USA Baseball and the bat manufacturer are obligated to announce a bat decertification once compliance testing has been completed and after USA Baseball has conclusive evidence that a bat model is out of compliance with the USABat standard. The use of a noncompliant bat in leagues that have adopted USABat compromises the integrity of the standard and creates an uneven playing field across youth baseball. Therefore, in order to maintain integrity with the performance metrics set by the USABat standard, noncompliant bats must be decertified and removed from play immediately .
What happens if my bat is decertified?
If a previously approved USABat is decertified, the bat manufacturer is obligated to provide consumers with relief and to take any other steps necessary to make such parties whole. USA Baseball will post information on how to contact the bat manufacturer at https://usabat.com/decertified-bats/ in the event a USABat is ever decertified.
Why are certain bat lengths decertified and not others?
For certified bats, each model length is typically designed and produced slightly differently than the others. Because of this, individual lengths and drops of a USABat are classified as unique designs and subject to bat certification separately. It is possible that certain bat lengths could be found to be out of compliance under the USABat standard while the remaining lengths and drops of the same model family are still design and performance compliant.