BAT COMPRESSION TESTING

U20, U23, MEN'S & MASTER MEN'S CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bat compression testing will be conducted at the U20 Men’s, U23 Men’s, Men’s and Master Men’s events on an annual basis. Failure to meet the bat compression test will result in the bat being an illegal bat and not permitted for use at the Canadian Championships. Bats approved for use will be marked, and any bat used that is not so marked will be considered an illegal bat.

Note - The protocol that will be followed to determine whether bats are suitable for play at the Canadian Championships will be available on the Softball Canada website. All bats will be compression tested to the current WBSC standards. If the bat passes compression testing, it will be approved for Canadian Championship play regardless of certification stamp(s).

BAT CHECK PROTOCOL

The following protocol will be used to determine whether the bat is suitable for play at Canadian Championships:

1. Bats will be bat ring tested and physically checked to ensure that the bat has no rattles, burrs or any other non‐compliance with the Official Bat specification as described in Appendix 2 of the Softball Canada Rulebook.
   
   a. Bats that do not pass the physical inspection shall be returned to the team.
   
   
2. Bats that have passed the physical inspection will undergo a compression test using a bat compression tester.

Bats must meet or exceed the compression level set for that particular type of bat. The compression benchmark for approved bats is 1460 PSI, unless the bat is of non‐linear construction in which case the compression shall be the benchmark established for that make and model of bat. The benchmark for non‐linear bats may be obtained from the USA Softball Website or the WBSC Approved Bat List.

The compression test will be carried out as follows.

1. The compression tester’s calibration will be checked at the start of each testing session.
   
   
2. The bat will be inserted into the tester as far as the stop guide will allow. The bat shall not touch the sides of the tester and shall be held level. With the bat in the tester, the tester will be pre‐loaded to 500 PSI. During the pre‐load, the lever must be held in the down position. Once the tester is pre‐loaded, the lever will be lifted smoothly ensuring that the operator’s hands are not touching the moving silver portions of the machine.
   
   a. If the bat compression reading is equal to or reads higher than the benchmark for that bat, the bat shall be considered to have passed and a tournament sticker will be applied to a clean area of the bat.
   b. If the bat compression reading is below but close to the benchmark, the bat will be turned a quarter turn and re‐tested.
   c. If the bat compression reading is below the benchmark for that bat, the bat will be considered to have failed and will be returned to the team with the instruction that the bat has failed the compression test and may not be used. A team may request that the bat be retested.