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Online now: 3 members: DJP18, dillydilly, melland28; 12 anonymousDiscussion: Interpretation of the new bat rule
| Posted | Discussion |
| April 3 Mulldog 9 posts | I am playing in the tidewater classic this weekend. The forecast temperatures are a low of 42 and a high of 56 degrees. My question(s) is; Based on the new bat rule, I have to swing a bat that has a ssusa stamp? Knowing that bats are going to break in these temperatures, I cannot swing a Utrip bat? Am I correct or not? |
| April 3 SSUSA Staff 3493 posts | Mulldog ... You may NOT swing a Utrip bat ... Here's the rule that went into effect on November 1, 2023: Bats must be marked with the new SSUSA/NTS logo. Older bats must be marked SSUSA approved (or have SSUSA logo), with 1.21 BPF or less. Good luck! |
| April 3 ju25 Men's 60 236 posts | So the original Ultra II, the Combat Original DaBomb, and I think the Worth Launch are no longer legal because they bare no senior stamps? |
| April 4 SSUSA Staff 3493 posts | Yes, that's correct. |
| April 12 Mike777 Men's 55 7 posts | Ok so I just happened to see this as I’m getting my stuff ready for the season . So it seems that my brand new Ultra 2 that I bought last fall with ZERO swings on it is useless now … so I’m looking to buy the best bat similar to the ultras pop that is LEGAL.. don’t care if it cost 300-400$ .. looking for some suggestions please . I use to follow this but don’t anymore. THANKS!! |
| April 13 garyheifner 649 posts | I have a Dudley Lightening end load-an original OG in excellent condition. It has official softball on it but no stamp. Are U saying this bat is now illegal after all these /years tournaments??? |
| April 13 djs_1964 8 posts | Doesn't the OG have "SSUSA Approved" written around the barrel of the bat (basically where the barrel starts)? |
| April 13 yankeesfan12 29 posts | Is the mike machinko, yellow anaconda combat still legal to use, it says senior softball on it. |
| April 14 rocketman Men's 65 37 posts | So,per usual conversation with not fully understood subjects, we once again call on Mike Adair and Andy "Duke" Smith for conclusive interpretation and clarity on this thread |
| April 14 garyheifner 649 posts | Yes thanks guys-in my current mental state a senior moment I missed the printing around the bottom of the barrel. I suck!!! |
| April 14 JohnO28 Men's 50 107 posts | I get the idea behind the bat rule change but there should be some leeway prior to May. Those of us in the Midwest and the Northern states who don't get to play year round are itching to play some tourneys this time of year. But for example next weekend we are playing in OH and the high is 55 on Saturday with morning temps of 40 at 8 00 AM. We all pay a lot of money for these bats and everyone knows Senior bats are the most fragile and shouldn't be swung under 60 degrees because they will break much easier. Most directors are loading up their car/trailer and the supplied balls will be in 40 degree temps overnight and that is even worse on bats than a 50 degree temp outside. The balls get harder and won't be in warm enough weather to ever soften up to the point where they won't break bats. Like I said I get the idea behind the rule change but using a USSSA or ASA/USA stamped bat is actually a disadvantage over a Senior bat and these tourneys cost enough money without adding the expense of broken bats when it's easily avoided. |
| April 15 DaveDowell Men's 70 4321 posts | JohnO28 ... This one isn't really a "new" development, and in our view it's fair to say there was ample time for players to plan accordingly ... The National Rules Committee published this bat certification change LAST YEAR (over 15 months ago) and it didn't take effect until almost 10 months later, on November 1, 2023 ... __________ 2022 SSUSA National Rules Committee • Official Minutes Sunday – Tuesday, January 8 – 10, 2023 Sacramento, California – SSUSA National Offices Agenda §12. Simplify legal bat rules Recommendation: Simplify the language surrounding approved bats and set a firm date for grandfathered bats. Suggested Change: As of November 1, 2023, bats must be marked with the SSUSA/NTS logo. Older bats must be marked SSUSA approved (or have SSUSA logo), with 1.21 BPF or less. MOTION APPROVED 9-0 (2 abstaining) |
| April 15 JohnO28 Men's 50 107 posts | Dave, In the spirit of this conversation. Please elaborate on how you expect players to "plan" for this when the only bats that are approved to play come with WARNINGS from EVERY single manufacturer telling you not to swing them under 60 degrees. Exactly what preparations could have been made by players to follow your new rules? There are really 3 options for those in the Midwest, North and Upper East Coast. Option 1: pay for expensive bats with NO warranty and risk breaking them in these tourneys just to play. Option 2: wait another month until it's safe to swing these bats. Option 3: choose to play every other assocation which doesn't hold you to the same bat standards and realizes that not everyone lives in FL, TX or CA and thinks about all it's members instead of just the CA based ones. It's apparent that not all members are considered when rules go into effect considering at least 1//3- 1/2 of the country it's not safe for them to play in SSUSA tourneys but yet that is when they are scheduled. If you want players to adhere to the rules then maybe schedule their tourneys for months that are safe to use the equipment mandated by SSUSA. But for real, I would like an honest answer how SSUSA expects us to "Prepare" for this rule change? |
| April 15 DaveDowell Men's 70 4321 posts | Maybe being prepared is just a regional phenomenon ... In St. George's high altitude and chilly temps last month, we saw a lot of "older" legal bats with the SSUSA sticker and the BPF 1.21 (or lower) ... We saw a fair number of passive bat warmers, like the wooden boxes with a foil background and a Plexiglas front ... We saw a few smaller propane personal heaters that just happened to be outside of and in the general area of the dugout fences ... What we didn't see were broken bats in trash cans or hear about them, either ... Those teams seemed well "prepared" and didn't seem to suffer adverse consequences ... |
| April 15 JohnO28 Men's 50 107 posts | Dave, Altitude has zero to do with bats breaking. The other side of the coin is cold softballs. It's been documented that a ball stored for 24 hours in sub freezing Temps will take over 48 hours to return to normal core temperature in 60 degree buiding. I guarantee that when we show up to register and the balls were are mandated to use have not been stored indoors at proper temperatures to prevent bat breaking. The only thing worse than colf for bats is frozen softballs which will do far more damage. What do you consider chilly temps? Our tourney this weekend in OH will have a sunrise temp of 35 degrees 2 hours before first game. Maybe SSUSA should consider more than just members outside of CA region and the board of directors should be from across the county not all located in CA. Or here's a novel idea listen to the members once in a while and take into consideration of what they are saying. |
| April 15 DaveDowell Men's 70 4321 posts | OK, I get it now! ... You're going to have to transport yourself into the: Don't play in colder temps conclusion you appear to be seeking ... We believe, with numbers to support it, that there are alternatives we'll continue to offer ... And for the record, the active participants from the National Rules Committee meetings last time around (other than co-owners Terry and Fran) were from: CA (3), FL, IN, MD, MI, MO, NJ, TX and WA (2) ... Most people who aren't just being argumentative would recognize that to be a reasonable geographic representation ... They work hard and do an exceptional job ... Your apparent inference to the contrary is incorrect and unfair ... |
| April 15 yankeesfan12 29 posts | Is the mike machinko, yellow anaconda combat still legal to use, it says senior softball on it. |
| April 16 SSUSA Staff 3493 posts | SSUSA APPROVED BATSThe following bats have been approved for Senior Softball-USA use:Updated September 5, 2023 . Combat: All Combat slow-pitch bats manufactured before 2021 must be stamped 1.21 BPF or lower. |
| April 17 Turning2 Men's 70 204 posts | SSUSA Staff - Please see below BAT POLICY - approved bats - updated Sept 5, 2023 from drop down menu on SSUSA home page - Adidas: All Adidas slow-pitch bats stamped 1.21 BPF or lower are approved. Miken Sports: All Miken slow-pitch bats stamped NTS Certified with the SSUSA Logo are approved. All Miken slow-pitch softball bats manufactured before 2021 must be stamped 1.21 BPF or lower, excluding the Original Gray Miken Ultra. Worth: All Worth slow-pitch bats stamped NTS Certified with the SSUSA Logo are approved. All Worth slow-pitch softball bats manufactured before 2021 must be stamped 1.21 BPF or lower. Are these three approved bat listings correct? Am i reading the Adidas listing correctly that ALL Adidas stamped 1.21 BPF are approved? no SSUSA/NTS stamp required? As for Miken and Worth - Are both sentences required to be met? or is the second sentence for both Miken and Worth, "slow-pitch softball bats manufactured before 2021 must be stamped 1.21 BPF or lower." all that needs to be met? If yes to these three manufacturers wouldn't there be plenty of older bats available to use in colder weather for more northerly tournament play? Looking for clarity and help for those guys/teams from further north. We don't have the colder weather typically in NC and when we do we break out the 2011, 2012 Easton Salvo and others and use when it's cold. Again, trying to help the guys from up North with some "pre-planning" if i am reading the approval requirements. |
| April 19 Mulldog 9 posts | So, I played by your rules in the Tidewater Classic. Game temp was 48 degrees. I did not bring my gamer bats with me. I brought what I thought would be the most durable. AND As I predicted to you in the post, my Dudley OG broke one the first day. I am sure that the bat manufacturers truly appreciate your lack of common sense in this matter. Senior bats are not supposed to be used in temperatures that low! Great job! |
| April 22 JohnO28 Men's 50 107 posts | Mulldog, We played in OH this weekend and there were at least 8 broken bats on Saturday morning alone and temps were 45ish. There is no way to protect Senior bats in temps below 60 degrees regardless of what we are told by SSUSA on this site. Dave's comments on an earlier post about not seeing broken bats thrown in barrels pretty much shows how out of touch some rule makers can really be. A broken bat doesn't have to be cracked in half and thrown out to be considered broken. Dave, Nobody who knows anything about composite bats and balls would tell you its safe or even a good idea to swing bats under 60 degrees in temp especially senior bats and this weekend proved it again. Not only in OH but also at the Tidewater in Va. Whoever it was that voted 9-0 as you stated definitely doesn't have the players best interest or safety in mind. |
| April 22 DieselDan Men's 75 602 posts | Bat warmers like these work great. Even if the ump will not let you hang it outside your dugout, even hung inside, the bat will get warm. Rotating the bad some between at bats also helps. Or just use a good .20 bat. I've been told by knowledgeable hitters that there's only around 20-30' difference between a .20 and .21 bat. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225698128857?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1Q69DWnDlSbOiuv6IWG7Pxw23&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=225698128857&targetid=1583904486362&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9029925&poi=&campaignid=19894961968&mkgroupid=148855406073&rlsatarget=pla-1583904486362&abcId=9307911&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745C_DHKFez-XWuLQP89HUvsUL6ifUNMYURO7aUA12Kaz4hElpPTdkNYaAhXXEALw_wcB |
| April 22 JohnO28 Men's 50 107 posts | DieselDan, The whole point of this post from the original author is the fact that you're not allowed to use anything that doesn't have the SSUSA stamp on it. You're not allowed to use any USSSA or USA/ASA bats anymore. Bat warmers only help the bat so much when directors have the balls sitting outside in their car trunks all night the day before the tourney starts the compression on the balls go way up. |
