SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.
January 20, 2011
The first test result has been received at Little League International regarding composite-barreled bats for use in the Little League (Majors) Division and below. Little League has created a list for those bats that receive waivers of the moratorium that was enacted on Dec. 30, 2010.

Little League International’s moratorium on the use of composite bats extends to all of its baseball divisions, including the Little League (Majors) division.

Information on the composite baseball bats that have received waivers of the moratorium for the Little League (Majors) Baseball Division and below can be found here:
http://www.littleleague.org/learn/equipment/approvedcompbatssmall.htm The list will be updated as more information comes into Little League.

Information on the composite baseball bats that have received waivers of the moratorium for the Junior, Senior, and Big League Baseball Divisions of Little League can be found here:
http://www.littleleague.org/learn/equipment/approvedcompbats.htm

By definition, a moratorium is: An authorized delay or stopping of some specified activity. As applied by Little League International, the moratorium disallows the use of all baseball bats constructed with composite material in its barrel unless a specific model shows in laboratory testing that it will not exceed the standard that is printed on the bat, after the bat is broken in.

There is a process through which manufacturers can submit individual models for a possible waiver if they wish to seek it. Individual bat models are tested at an independent laboratory, and the results are conveyed to the manufacturer. If the manufacturer provides the results to Little League, and the bat passes the test, it will be noted on one of the two lists noted above.

Wooden and aluminum metal/alloy bats are not subject to the moratorium. Bats that have only a metal or alloy barrel (and no other material, unless it is in the end cap of the bat), and if it meets the other standards (length, diameter, etc. for the respective division in which it is used) are not subject to the moratorium, regardless of the composition of the handle or the transition to the barrel.

A listing of licensed, non-wood/non-composite baseball bats for use in the Little League (Majors) Division and below can be found here: http://www.littleleague.org/Assets/forms_pubs/2011ApprovedNonWoodBatList.pdf This list also may be updated frequently.

Because of the moratorium, several common questions have arisen. We have addressed the most common questions in a Frequently-Asked Questions page here: http://www.littleleague.org/media/newsarchive/2010/Sep-Dec/LLBBCompositeBatMoratoriumFAQ.htm

If you have further questions, we encourage you to sign on to Little League’s Facebook page. At that page, over the past few days, Little League International staff has answered hundreds of questions regarding the moratorium. The Little League Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/LittleLeagueBaseballAndSoftball

Little League International first placed the moratorium on composite bats in the Junior, Senior, and Big League Baseball Divisions of Little League. Subsequent to that moratorium, scientific research that began on October 18, 2010, showed the need for the same moratorium on composite-barreled bats with 2 1/4 inch barrels as well. Starting in September, and throughout the following weeks, this information was conveyed multiple times to every local Little League, every district, to the media, on Facebook, on the Little League web site, and to more than 250,000 parents who had signed up to receive updates from Little League International.

The original announcement regarding the moratorium, enacted on September 1, 2010, is here: http://www.littleleague.org/media/newsarchive/2010/Sep-Dec/CompositeBatMoratium.htm

The moratorium on composite bats, which now applies to all baseball divisions of Little League, does not apply to any softball divisions of Little League.