Beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, Senior Softball-USA will license new senior bats and publish an Approved Bat List for all sanctioned SSUSA Tournaments.
This policy is being implemented for two reasons:
First and foremost, it is designed to protect our players and the sport. In the past few years, several entities have begun developing senior bats. This policy provides a significant barrier to bat manufacturers who do not have the wherewithal to establish manufacturing procedures that meet minimum industry standards to ensure bats are consistently meeting standards.
Second, it is a fairness issue: many of the bat manufacturers support the sport through some type of sponsorships. These sponsors face economic requirements that other bat manufacturers, who do not support the sport, do not face. This policy is designed to even the playing field.
The SSUSA bat policy is simple:
1. The longest length, heaviest weight and highest MOI bat of a design must be submitted to NTS Chesapeake Testing Lab in Belcamp, MD., and be tested and meet the bpf standard. NTS forwards the results directly to SSUSA. The bats must also meet other standards listed in the SSUSA Rulebook, including length.
2. Bat manufacturers with bats that meet the standard, then pay a minimum licensing fee each year.
3. Senior Softball USA requires manufacturers to name Senior Softball-USA as additionally insured on a $10 million liability insurance policy in case of injury.
4. After the agreement is reached, and SSUSA receives a copy of the insurance coverage, the bat is added to the Approved SSUSA Bat list and may be used in all SSUSA tournaments.
BATS:
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.
Look for the following approval stamps:
New logo, World Champs logo and old logo for approved bats.
