BASEBALL BAT RULES! MUST READ!

Below are some reminders about existing rules regarding the use of eligible bats at all levels in baseball and softball, as well as the penalty that will be enforced when illegal bats are identified. No player, team or division is excepted to this rule or penalty. We encourage all families to review this information in its entirety and check out our bat eligibility page on the OYO website.

Quite simply, we have bat rules at OYO, and they have been in place for several years to ensure the safety of each and every ballplayer who chooses to play at OYO. Please take time to check the bats of your team before the game. During or after the game will simply be too late, and your player may be called out and/or your player and coach may be ejected for use of an illegal bat.

JRO-RB-MB-SM Baseball Bat Eligibility | When checking your ballplayer’s baseball bat, please consider these following rules:

• A bat may not exceed 33 inches
• No barrel shall exceed 2-5/8 inches in diameter
• Any bat in excess of 2-1/4 inches must display the USABat certification
• Any bat not displaying the USABat certification cannot exceed 2-1/4 inches
• There is no length-to-weight ratio limitation

Softball Bat Eligibility | While the aforementioned bat rules are specifically identified and written for baseball, softball bats also can be illegal resulting in the same enforcement penalties. Softball bats are illegal if they appear on the USA Softball non-approved bat list with certification marks.

Illegal Bat Use Penalty | The illegal bat penalty for baseball and softball is the same. When a
n umpire, player or coach accurately identifies an illegal bat, then the batter shall be declared out, any players who advanced bases shall return to the prior base occupied and the team and head coach are issued a warning. Then, each subsequent use of an illegal bat in the same game, the player found using an illegal bat and the head coach (or acting head coach) will be ejected and automatically miss the team’s next game as a result of the ejection.

Why It Matters | We ask for everyone’s cooperation and support in following these rules. At OYO, we take safety seriously, and this is truly a safety matter. As a developmental and instructional league, we encourage our players to experience as much of the game as possible. So, when a less experienced rec league player has a chance to play third base or pitch for the first time, we should not place them in harm’s way as a batter uses an illegal big barrel bat or a composite bat without proper certifications which makes the bat “hot” and contains a certain “pop” risking the safety of a pitcher just 46, 50 or 60 feet away or a fielder a mere 35, 60 or 90 feet away.