NEW BAT STANDARDS

In conjunction with USA Baseball and its other participating national member organizations, PONY Baseball has adopted the new USA Baseball bat standards (USABat).  Effective January 1, 2018, with the exception of -3 (BBCOR certified), all other minus factor bats (-5,-7,-9, etc..), must be YBBCOR certified with the USABat licensing stamp on the bat in order to be used for league and all-star play.  All bats without this stamp will be illegal and not be eligible to use during league play.  The new YBBCOR bats bearing the USABat licensing mark are expected to be offered in retail stores in September.

Why:  Safety. USA Baseball's national member organizations believe that a wood-like performance standard will best provide for the long-term integrity of the game. These bats are made to mimic wood bats, lessening the "pop" factor and thus, reducing the potential injuries from hard hit balls, especially come-backers to pitchers.