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| Several Banned Bats in Some Leagues |
The first step in purchasing the right bat for your child is making sure the bat is legal in the league in which she will be playing. If your player's bat is over or missing any of the regulations they are not (or should not) be allowed to step in the batters box. On the other hand, if your player's bat is well under the size regulations then they will have a measurable disadvantage compared to their teammates and competitors. DO NOT assume just any old bat will work as that is usually NOT the case. Bat regulations, at least lately, are regularly updated.
You can usually find out your league rules for bat regulations on the league's website. If it isn't there, ask the coach--if he doesn't know then you should find out for both of you. Many of the little leagues around the country are affiliated with a national or regional governing body. Those bodies almost always have specific bat regulations that are updated annually. There are common ones like PONY, Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth, USSSA and High School (NFHS). There are also several regional ones like the Rocky Mountain school of Baseball.
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| One National Governing Body of Youth Baseball |
A search like this usually turns up something close.
Most online and brick-and-mortar bat stores do a good job of sorting the bats by the league they are allowed in. Really good local stores will have someone on staff who knows--or charts by the bats letting you know what is and is not allowed in your local leagues. Finding this information out before spending real money on a bat is a must.
There are 3 questions you need to know the answer to with absolute certainty before you purchase a bat. They are:
1) What is the maximum bat diameter? (e.g. 2 5/8, 2 1/4, 2 3/4)
2) What speical stamping or thumbprint, if any, is required on the bat? (e.g. BPF 1.15, BBCOR, Approved for play in Pony...)
3) Of what material can the bat be made? (e.g. Wood?, Composite?, Aluminum?)
Once you know this, its off to the store...sort of...
Previous, Step #0: Starting in the Box
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