Last verified August 24, 2026.
There is no single decertified bat list. There are seven, and they do not match each other.
USA Baseball keeps one. USSSA keeps another. PONY keeps two. Little League posts its own notices. And two tournament organizations, Perfect Game and Triple Crown Sports, ban bats that are still certified by everyone else.
A bat can be banned on one list and fine on another, because each organization runs its own standard, its own testing, and its own events.
This page puts all seven in one place.
Why the lists are separate
A bat gets certified to a standard, not to a league. USABat, USSSA 1.15 BPF, and BBCOR are three different performance limits, and each one is owned by a different body.
So when a bat fails, it fails against whichever standard it was certified to. USA Baseball pulls a USABat model. USSSA pulls a 1.15 BPF model. BBCOR failures come out of NCAA and NFHS testing.
This is not new. When I played there was Little League, there were travel teams, and there was CYO ball. Every one of them had their own rules about which bats you could use. I never knew the exact rules for the travel teams. I just knew they had them.
What was different is that somebody handed you the answer. The league office told you what bats you could have. They got it from Little League headquarters in Williamsport and passed it down. And most of the umpires carried the list in a notebook, right there at the field.
Now there is no notebook. There are seven lists that do not talk to each other, and a parent who has to figure out which ones apply before they can even start.
The stamp on your barrel does not change when a bat gets pulled. It is molded or printed into the metal. The bat looks exactly as legal as the day you bought it.
USABat decertified list
Leagues affected: Little League, Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth, PONY, Diamond Youth Baseball (formerly Dixie Youth), DBBaseball (formerly Dixie Boys), AABC, NABF.
| Manufacturer | Model | Sizes | SKUs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton | Ghost X (-10), 2 5/8″ barrel | 30/20 only | YBB18GX10, LL18GHX |
One bat. That is the entire list since the USABat standard started on January 1, 2018.
Every other certified length and drop of the Ghost X remains approved for play.
USA Baseball lists Easton’s number as 1-844-531-7079 for questions about returns, refunds or warranty claims on that model.
USSSA withdrawn and non-compliant list
Leagues affected: USSSA travel baseball.
| Manufacturer | Model | Size | SKU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marucci | Cat5 MCB2 BBCOR | 33/30 | |
| Nike | BT0636 CX2 light grey | not listed | |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | 29/21 | WTDXCBR 2129-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | 30/22 | WTDXCBR 2230-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | 31/23 | WTDXCBR 2331-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | 32/24 | WTDXCBR 2432-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | 28/18 | WTDXCBZ 1828-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | 29/19 | WTDXCBZ 1929-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | 30/20 | WTDXCBZ 2030-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | 31/21 | WTDXCBZ 2131-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | 32/22 | WTDXCBZ 2232-17 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Zero Dark 2 3/4″ (-10) | 29/19 | WTDXCBZ 1929-17F1 |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Zero Dark 2 3/4″ (-10) | 30/20 | WTDXCBZ 2030-17F1 |
| DeMarini | Custom 2017 CF Zen 2 3/4″ (-10) | all | WTDCCBZ17V |
| DeMarini | Custom 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | all | WTDCCBR17V |
| Dirty South | Kamo BB KA 8 | 30/22, 31/21, 32/22, 31/23, 32/24 | |
| Easton | Ghost X, USA Baseball marked | 30/20 only | YBB18GX10, LL18GHX Japanese |
Those -8 and -10 numbers are drop weights. If that notation is new to you, here is how bat drop works.
Nine model families, and seven of them are DeMarini CF Zen variants. Same bat line, pulled apart size by size.
USSSA also adopts other rulings automatically. Any BBCOR bat withdrawn by the NCAA or NFHS will also be withdrawn by USSSA, and any USA Baseball stamped bat withdrawn by USA Baseball will also be withdrawn by USSSA.
USSSA additionally prohibits custom bats. Under Rule 13.02.C.8, no approved manufacturer may make a custom USSSA bat for a player or a team, and all USSSA marked bats must be available to the public for purchase.
BBCOR decertified list
Leagues affected: high school, college, PONY, and any organization using the BBCOR standard.
| Manufacturer | Model | Sizes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville Slugger | 2020 Meta (-3) | 33/30 | SKUs WTLBBMTB32033, WTLCBBMP20V, WBL23630103033 |
| Marucci | CAT5 | 33-inch | |
| Marucci | CAT5 / CAT5 Squared | 34-inch | see note below |
| Marucci | Black | 33-inch | |
| Marucci | Black | 34-inch | |
| Reebok | Vector TLS | 32-inch | |
| Reebok | Vector TLS | 33-inch | |
| Stinger | Missile II | 33-inch | added 2023 |
The Meta is the one people remember. It was the most popular BBCOR bat in the country when additional testing pulled the 33/30.
If your player is heading toward high school, BBCOR itself is changing. Here is what happens in 2028 and 2029.
Note on the 34-inch Marucci. PONY lists it as CAT5. Little League lists it as CAT5 Squared. Those may be two different bats or one source may have it wrong. If you own either, check with your league before you use it.
Tournament organizations ban bats that are still certified
This is the layer most parents miss.
Sanctioning bodies set the standard. Individual tournament organizations can be stricter, and two of the biggest are.
Perfect Game states its reasoning plainly: while these bats are currently still certified by their manufacturers, performance of these bats over the extended life span continues to become increasingly unsafe for participants.
So a bat can carry a valid USSSA stamp, be legal all season in your league, and be banned at a weekend tournament.
Triple Crown Sports
| Manufacturer | Model | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| DeMarini | 2015 CF7 (-5) | all |
| Easton | 2015 XL1 (-5) | all |
| DeMarini | 2016 CF8 (-5) | all |
| DeMarini | 2016 CF8 (-8) | all |
| DeMarini | 2016 CF8 (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-5) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Zero Dark 2 3/4″ (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | Custom 2017 CF Zen 2 3/4″ (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | Custom 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | all |
| Louisville Slugger | Blue Meta Composite | 33/30 only |
| Dirty South | Kamo BB KA 8 | 30/22, 31/21, 32/22, 31/23, 32/24 |
| Easton | Ghost X, USA Baseball marked | 30/20 only |
| Black Emerald | without a permanent USSSA 1.15 BPF or BBCOR .50 stamp | all |
Triple Crown also notes that DeMarini concluded its youth baseball bat BPF audit and determined that these bats do not consistently pass the BPF 1.15 standard. That is the manufacturer saying it, not a governing body.
Perfect Game
| Manufacturer | Model | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| DeMarini | 2015 CF7 (-5) | all |
| Easton | 2015 XL1 (-5) | all |
| DeMarini | 2016 CF8 (-5) | all |
| DeMarini | 2016 CF8 (-8) | all |
| DeMarini | 2016 CF8 (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Zero Dark 2 3/4″ (-10) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-5) | all |
| DeMarini | 2017 CF Insane end-loaded (-5) | all |
| Louisville Slugger | Blue Meta Composite | 33/30 only |
| Dirty South | 2018 Kamo BB KA 8 | 30/22, 31/21, 32/22, 31/23, 32/24 |
| Easton | Ghost X, USA Baseball marked | 30/20 only |
| Stinger | 2022 Missile 2 | 33/30 only |
The 2017 DeMarini CF Insane end-loaded (-5) appears on Perfect Game’s list and on no other list on this page.
Perfect Game is also the only organization that has reversed a ban. Effective August 15, 2024, they lifted the previous ban on the Easton Hype Fire -5, and all years and models are approved for Perfect Game play outside of a 12U event.
Important limitation. The rule set above is the one used in Perfect Game Kansas City events, updated January 23, 2025. Perfect Game states that red flag events follow these rules but event directors reserve the right to modify rules as needed, and that for white or blue flag events you should check the bat restrictions tab per event. Check the specific event page rather than assuming.
If you own a banned CF Zen, check the end cap
This detail is easy to miss, and it can save you a few hundred dollars.
Both Triple Crown and Perfect Game allow retooled versions of certain banned CF Zen models. Once returned from the manufacturer, those bats carry updated model numbers and a new orange end cap with stickers indicating the corrected performance standards.
Triple Crown applies this to the 2017 CF Zen SL 2 3/4″ (-10), the 2017 CF Zen Zero Dark 2 3/4″ (-10), and the Custom 2017 CF Zen 2 3/4″ (-10). Perfect Game applies it to the 2017 CF Zen Balanced (-8), the CF Zen SL, and the Zero Dark.
Triple Crown separately re-allowed the 2018 DeMarini CF Zen CBZ 2 3/4″ (-10) at all of their events effective January 1, 2021, after further review.
So a CF Zen that has been back to the manufacturer is not the same bat as the one on the list, even though the model name matches. Check the end cap and the model number before you assume your bat is dead.
The 14U rules do not match either
Worth knowing if your player is at that age this season.
USSSA moved 14U to BBCOR -3 or wood as the national standard on January 1, 2026, with a state opt-in exception for -5 events. Full detail here.
Triple Crown requires BBCOR or wood at 14U with no exception listed.
Perfect Game splits it by classification. 14U Major is BBCOR only. 14U Open, AAA and AA allow BBCOR or -5.
Three organizations, three answers, same age group.
Softball
Separate standards, separate notices.
| Manufacturer | Model | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Suncoast | Backlash SBFPB-10 | No longer approved at any level of Little League play |
| Louisville Slugger | OneX fastpitch | Entire current line recalled |
| DeMarini | Various softball models | Mismarked BPF notice, not a decertification |
How to check the bat you own
- Find the model name on the barrel
- Find the length and weight, usually stamped near the taper or the knob
- Check every list above that applies to where your player is playing this season
- Match all three: model, length, weight
Model alone is not enough. Most of these bans apply to specific lengths and leave the rest of the family legal.
USA Baseball’s explanation is that each model length is typically designed and produced slightly differently than the others, so individual lengths and drops are classified as unique designs and certified separately.
And if your league plays tournaments, check the tournament organization’s list too. That is a separate question from whether the bat is certified.
How current is this
Every entry above traces to an official source. Here is the honest picture on dating.
The USABat list has not changed since 2018. USSSA’s list carries no dates. PONY’s page says it was modified in November 2023 at the top and updated in March 2020 at the bottom, which contradicts itself, and it tags the Stinger as newly added in 2023. Little League’s page was last updated July 2023. Triple Crown’s most recent amendment is dated January 1, 2021. Perfect Game’s rule set is dated January 23, 2025.
Check the official sources yourself before you spend money or throw a bat away.
Official sources
- USA Baseball decertified bats
- USABat approved bat list
- USSSA withdrawn and non-compliant models
- USSSA Official Baseball National By-Laws and Rules, edition dated August 1, 2025, revised March 25, 2026
- PONY decertified BBCOR list
- PONY decertified USABat list
- Little League bat rules
- Triple Crown Sports bat rules
- Perfect Game tournament rules
Rules change. Check the current edition before you spend money.
Want the full story on how this happens and what to do if you own one? Read the decertified bats guide.
Not sure which certification your league requires? Check your bat here.
Buying used? A bat can also be rolled or shaved without you knowing.
Want the timeline of every rule change instead? Here it is.