High School Baseball Rules

Like the NCAA in 2011, the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) is implementing the BBCOR standard in the United States beginning with the 2012 season.  The state of California adopted this rule for the 2011 season.  BBCOR stands for “Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution” and is used to measure the speed with which the ball leaves the bat at contact. For more information on the science behind the BBCOR standard, check out this BBCOR Explained video post.

For a non-wooden bat (metal or composite) to be legal in any high school baseball game in 2012, it must have the BBCOR logo imprinted on the bat.  Manufacturers earn the BBCOR badge after independent testing to validate the bat’s BBCOR rating.

Another requirement of high school baseball bats is that they be of a “drop 3” or “-3” design.  What this means is that the weight of the bat can only be three ounces less than the length of the bat. So, for a 32 inch bat, the weight can be no less than 29 ounces.

Wooden baseball bats will continue to be legal in high school play.

To find bats that are legal in your specific league, visit BaseballExpress.com.