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New Bat Field Test Questions Answered
May 1, 2024
By Terry Hennessy
SSUSA Chief Executive Officer
Last week, Senior Softball USA announced a new field test for senior bats as part of a years-long effort to address bats that have been altered to improve performance.
Our NTS Lab coordinated a massive overall test of bats in January at the Tournament of Champions which helped us set a pass-fail level. Senior bat manufacturers, in conjunction with the Sports Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), formed a Senior Bat Committee to further study the issue and consult on the best test level.
The result is a barrel compression standard of 140 pounds. That means bats that test less than 140 pounds compression will fail the test.
Extremely old bats and cracked bats may also fail the compression test. Those bats will not be allowed in senior play.
The only penalties for bats failing the field test will be for altered bats and for players who refuse to give up their bat for testing. (See the Rule regarding Altered bats at the end of this article).
There have been several responses and questions from players and managers since the new field test was announced. Here are a number of the comments/questions and answers:
How will this work? Do we have to get all bats tested when checking in or is there a different format?
Umpires will be checking bats before games. Any cracked bat will not be allowed. If there is an injury, the bat will be tested. A manager can request a bat be tested and the Tournament Director will determine whether the bat should be tested. Other bats will be tested at the Tournament Director’s discretion.
Are you really going to use that bat-testing standard on us older divisions too? I’m sure some of us need all the help we can get to get it out of the infield and it’s gonna be a real disappointment to have you take away our beloved gamers.
Altered bats – and bats that are too hot – are a problem in all age groups. No age group is exempt.
How often will the bat testers be calibrated to ensure they are accurate?
There is a Calibration Cylinder with each bat tester that can be easily used to check and adjust the compression level to ensure accuracy.
Can a team or Senior League buy a bat tester? How much do they cost?
Yes, teams and Senior Leagues can buy bat testers through SSUSA. The cost is $1,300 plus shipping.
What about dealers who provide altered bat services?
It is extremely difficult visually to determine whether a bat has been altered, which is why we are using the new field test to address the issue. We have no control over dealers of altered bats unless they are also Senior Softball players, in which case we will ban them from the sport.
We are a Senior League. What happens if we test a bat and it fails? What do we do?
We recommend using the same procedure as SSUSA. Our procedure when a bat fails the test is to send it to the manufacturer to determine whether it has been altered. If it has not been altered, the bat is returned or we send a replacement bat if the bat has been damaged in testing. If a bat has been altered, the player is suspended for 10 years.
I buy a bat. I go to an event and someone tells me the bat does not pass inspection, they keep the bat and I am not allowed to play for 10 years! What you are proposing is tantamount to putting people in jail because they were victims. If you cannot prove that the person actually caused the bat to be altered, or knew they were purchasing such an item, you have no right to suspend them.
Players will not be suspended unless they use an altered bat. The bottom line is that each player is responsible for the equipment he/she uses. Know who you are buying the bat from – and know that as soon as you buy the bat, you are responsible for it because you are using it.
I am not really familiar with "altered" bats. If I buy a new bat and have it rolled, is that an altered bat? The dealer I saw online said the bats they were selling were "Hot and rolled," making it "game ready" right out of the wrapper. Is such a procedure regarded as being "altered?”
Absolutely. The definition of an altered bat is that it has been altered after original manufacturing to improve performance.
SSUSA RULE: Altered bat suspensions & team penalty.
If a player refuses to immediately surrender a bat suspected of being altered to enhance performance, the player will be suspended for life. If the player voluntarily surrenders a bat found to be altered to enhance performance, the player will be suspended for 10 years. If the player refuses to surrender the bat, or if the bat is found to be altered, the team will forfeit all previously earned current season Tournament of Champions bids and is declared ineligible to participate in the current season SSUSA World Championships and Tournament of Champions.