BAT CERTIFICATION

Softball Canada does not currently have its own bat certification program, but endorses the following bat standards for Canadian Championships.

Softball Canada recognizes bats certified by both USA Softball and the WBSC for use in Fast Pitch competitions and USA Softball, the WBSC and USSSA for Slo-Pitch play.

FAST PITCH - MALE (UP TO U20) AND FEMALE (ALL LEVELS)

Acceptable Certification Stamps:

Any bat that appears on the WBSC Softball Approved Bat List and has a current ISF certification stamp (2005 only) or WBSC certification (shown above) will be accepted for play at a Softball Canada event or,
Any bat that appears on the USA Softball Approved Bat List and has an ASA 2000 or 2004 certification stamp or USA Softball 2019 certification stamp (shown above) will also be accepted for play at a Softball Canada event.
The bat must meet the compression standards outlined by the certifying organization and may be tested to ensure they are in the proper range.
The bat must still pass a visual inspection per the current Softball Canada rulebook.

FAST PITCH - ADULT MALE (U23 AND ABOVE)

Acceptable Certification Stamps:

Any bat that appears on the WBSC approved bat list and has a current ISF certification stamp (2005 only) or WBSC certification (shown above) will be accepted for play at a Softball Canada event or,
Any bat that appears on the USA Softball Approved Bat List and has an ASA 2000 or 2004 certification stamp or USA Softball 2019 certification stamp (shown above) will also be accepted for play at a Softball Canada event.
The bat must meet the compression standards outlined by the certifying organization and may be tested to ensure that they are in the proper range.
The bat must still pass a visual inspection per the current Softball Canada rulebook.

SLO-PITCH - (ALL)

Acceptable Certification Stamps:

All other bats are not approved for use. Non-approved Bats shall be removed from competition and visibly marked (e.g. tape). Teams should be advised that attempted use during the game will, by rule, result in ejection.

Updated June 2022 - Slo-Pitch Only

Any bat that appears on the WBSC approved bat list and has a current ISF (2005 only) or WBSC stamp will be accepted for play in Softball Canada competition or,
Any bat that appears on the USA Softball Approved Bat List and has an ASA 2000 or ASA 2004 certification stamp will also be accepted for play in Softball Canada competition (Note: the ASA 2013 certification stamp and the USA Softball 2019 Adult certification stamp are no longer accepted for endorsement in Slo-Pitch competition) or,
Any bat that is currently approved for use by the USSSA.
The bat must meet the compression standards outlined by the certifying organization and may be tested to ensure that they are in the proper range.
The bat must still pass a visual inspection per the current Softball Canada rulebook.

Note: Bats with an ASA 2013 certification stamp may still be eligible for use in Slo-Pitch competition if they are eligible under WBSC (ISF) or USSSA certification.

New: USSSA only accepts the new 2021 stamp. Bats with older USSSA stamps are no longer accepted for use. USSSA certification is accepted for Slo-Pitch competition only.

For more information, contact Mike Branchaud at mbranchaud@softball.ca

BAT COMPRESSION TESTING (U20, U23, MEN'S & MASTER MEN'S)

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:

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.
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.

The compression tester’s calibration will be checked at the start of each testing session.
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.