USA Baseball, the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States, is adopting a new method for measuring bat performance in the testing of youth bats that will go into effect on January 1, 2018. The new USA Baseball bat standard (USABat), was developed by a USA Baseball committee of scientific experts. LVMB is adopting the new bat rules for the purposes of safety, risk management, advanced play tournament consistency, and because we feel it is “best practice.”

Effective January 1, 2018, Lebanon Valley Midget Baseball will adhere to the new USABat standard. Pony Baseball will be following it as well. This applies Midget and 12u. No bats previously approved will be permitted to be used in any game or practice. For more information on the USABat standard and a complete list of bats approved through the USABat Standard, visit usabat.com. While we are an independent league, we are following suit with following organizations that are participating (in alphabetical order): American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Babe Ruth Baseball/Cal Ripken Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, Lebanon County Pony Baseball, Little League, and PONY Baseball. 

The current approved bat list is HERE.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why the change to a wood-like standard?

USA Baseball's national member organizations believe that a wood-like performance standard will best provide for the long-term integrity of the game. However, wood is a scarce resource. The new bats will be designed to perform much like wood, where its performance will be limited to the highest performing wood. 

Will each division have its own size, weight, and drop limits?

The new standard will not have a drop-weight limit, so young players can use bats made with light-weight materials. 

In 2018, will an umpire be required to inspect a bat before it is used in a game?

Yes. Regulation 1.10 states that the bat must be a baseball bat which meets specifications and standards as noted in this rule. (See complete explanation in the current year’s Little League Baseball® Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Policies, which LVMB and LCPBL follow with exceptions). It shall be a smooth, round stick, and made of wood or of material and color tested and proved acceptable to Little League standards. 

The full readout of changes can be found by clicking HERE.