subject: Composite Barrels Will Not Be Allowed Under The New Bbcor Rules [print this page] On January 1, 2012 the governing body of High School Baseball, the NFSH, changed their rules concerning acceptable bats for league play to match those of the NCAA. Although several months have passed since this rule came into effect, there is still much confusion and frustration surrounding this change.
The rule that was changed at the start of the year is NFHS 1.3.2 which requires that all non-wood bats meet a standard that has been set up called the Battle Coefficient of Restitution, or BBCOR, standard. This new standard is much stricter than the older BESR standard that high school leagues had previously been held to. Whats more, at the start of the year, when the new rule came into effect, there were no bats on the market that bore they BBCOR mark. This was because of a technicality that stated the BBCOR label must be silk-screened, or otherwise permanently adhered to the body of the bat. I sticker or decal would not be accepted. This lead to a scramble by all manufacturers to manufacture and design new bats that would be acceptable for play.
These new rules also require that allowed bats be a smooth cylinder implement from the top of the cap to the top of the knob. What this effectively means is that all two piece bats will not be accepted under the new guidelines. Since many manufactures had used the method of joining the barrel made of one high tech metal with the handle of another to improve performance, and there is a bump at the point where these two pieces meet. These bats will no longer be acceptable.
Some manufacturers, however, that manufacture bats with composite handles and aluminum barrels, and there is no lump where the two pieces meet. As the rule is written, these should be acceptable under the new rules. However, the NFHS rules still need to clarify these technicalities before the season starts. This has lead to many frustrated players and manufacturers.
Under this section of the rules, it also states that the knob of the bat can not be changed or altered in any way. This is actually held over from old BESR rules that disallowed any modification that caused the bat to taper directly from the handle to the knob. Players will oftentimes use tape to make the bat smooth from top to tip.
Additionally, in a blow to major manufacturers like ComBat, the new rules outlay all bats with composite barrels will be banned. Composite handles are acceptable, but composite barrels will not be allowed under the new BBCOR rules. This rule comes from research done for the NCAA that showed that composite barrels, after a certain amount of play time, could be broken in to exceed the BESR standard exit speed, and give the player an unfair competitive advantage.
