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Available both stock/untouched and Heat Rolled with Progressive Pressure - choose your preference during checkout!
The Kryo2 Empress is the bat you buy when you’ve already decided on a Kryo2 and want the one nobody else in the dugout has! Underneath the paint, the Empress -11 (WL2700301) is Louisville Slugger’s 2027 Kryo2 fastpitch bat, the same two-piece composite, the same GO-EX+ barrel, the same balanced swing. What sets it apart is the limited edition Empress artwork: an art nouveau design that wraps the barrel in swirls of purple, pink, gold, and blue over black, finished with a black handle, purple knob, and purple grip, and built around the brand’s mystical, lunar-inspired theme. The -11 is the lightest of the four Empress drops (Slugger also makes it in -10, -9, and -8), and it’s the one built for slap hitters, smaller players, and young travel ball hitters who win with bat speed and barrel control rather than mass. If your hitter has her eye on the standard Kryo2 -11 and you want a bat that stands out, this is the same swing with a very different look.
Louisville Slugger reworked the barrel for the Kryo2 generation, and the Empress gets all of it. The Kryo2 GO-EX+ Barrel System uses new composite materials and a larger gap between the barrel’s composite walls, which is what gives this bat its soft feel and distinctive sound at contact; the wider gap lets the outer wall flex and return energy to the ball instead of sending it into the hitter’s hands. The VTX Connection System joins barrel to handle in a way that lets the two move independently, so a ball caught off the end or in on the hands doesn’t rattle a young hitter out of her approach. The XPND Performance End Cap is a patented design that creates a pivot for the barrel to float on, which extends usable feel toward the end of the barrel, exactly where a -11 hitter who’s still learning to find the sweet spot needs it. A balanced swing weight keeps the -11 quick and controllable, and the premium LS Pro Comfort Grip adds tack and cushion without adding bulk to the handle. The barrel is 2-1/4 inches, standard for fastpitch, and the bat is approved for USA Softball (ASA), USSSA, NSA, ISA, and WBSC play. The USA Softball stamp is the one NFHS high school programs follow, so it’s legal for high school ball, but note that Louisville Slugger states the Kryo2 Empress -11 is not approved for college play. Available in 27"/16oz, 28"/17oz, 29"/18oz, 30"/19oz, 31"/20oz, 32"/21oz, and 33"/22oz, backed by Louisville Slugger’s one year warranty.
A -11 is the most common wrong purchase in fastpitch, usually because a parent sizes for the player she is today instead of the player she’ll be by the end of the season. That’s where LongballBats.com helps! We’ve been the Bat Performance Experts since 2016, our staff offers players, parents and coaches more than 100 years of combined baseball and softball experience, and we’ve had our hands on tens of thousands of bats, so we know exactly what a -11 Kryo2 feels like next to the -10, and when a hitter is ready to move up. We carry all four drop weights of the Kryo2 Empress (-8, -9, -10, and -11) alongside the standard 2027 Kryo2 and the Kryo ONE, so you’re choosing a bat from a shop that stocks every option, not the one that happens to be on the shelf. Tell us your hitter’s height, weight, age, current bat, and what kind of hitter she is, and we’ll tell you whether the Empress -11 is the right call or whether the Kryo2 Empress -10 would serve her better. Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll sort it out together!
- Model: Kryo2 Empress, -11 drop, WL2700301, a limited edition colorway of the 2027 Kryo2 fastpitch bat
- Brand: Louisville Slugger
- Sport: Fastpitch Softball
- Barrel Diameter: 2-1/4 inch, standard for fastpitch
- Drop: -11, the lightest drop in the Kryo2 Empress lineup, built for maximum bat speed
- Certification: Approved for USA Softball (ASA), USSSA, NSA, ISA, and WBSC leagues and tournaments
- Legal for NFHS high school play under the USA Softball stamp; Louisville Slugger states the Kryo2 Empress -11 is not approved for college play
- Two-piece composite construction: barrel and handle built as separate pieces for a softer feel and less vibration than a one-piece
- Kryo2 GO-EX+ Barrel System: new composite materials and a larger gap between the barrel walls for a soft feel, a loud sound, and strong energy transfer at contact
- VTX Connection System: lets the barrel and handle move independently to cut vibration on mishits
- XPND Performance End Cap: patented pivot design the barrel floats on, improving feel toward the end of the barrel
- Swing Weight: Balanced, so the bat stays quick and easy to control through the zone
- Premium LS Pro Comfort Grip: added tack and cushion for comfort and control
- Limited Edition Empress colorway: art nouveau graphics in purple, pink, gold, and blue over black, with a black handle, purple knob, and purple grip
- Available sizes: 27"/16oz, 28"/17oz, 29"/18oz, 30"/19oz, 31"/20oz, 32"/21oz, 33"/22oz
- Warranty: one year manufacturer’s warranty from Louisville Slugger
- Year Released: 2026
- WL27003011627, WL27003011728, WL27003011829, WL27003011930, WL27003012031, WL27003012132, WL27003012233
- Adding our Heat Roll with Progressive Pressure to your order may cause decertification, check with the governing body of your league for clarification
Manufacturing tolerances, performance considerations, and grip weight may cause variations from the listed weight.
QUESTION: Should I order this bat stock/untouched or Heat Rolled with Progressive Pressure?
ANSWER: If you order your new bat Heat Rolled with Progressive Pressure, it will be delivered to you completely and evenly broken in. This process adds 20-40ft of distance to your solid hits, increases consistency, improves durability and adds 2-3 business days of lead time to your order. If you plan to use the bat in an official game or event, please verify the legality of our process with your league or sanctioning body before use. We (LongballBats.com) do not encourage the use of a Heat Rolled bat in any game or event where it is against the rules. Click here for details about our process!
QUESTION: Is the Kryo2 Empress different from the regular 2027 Kryo2?
ANSWER: Only on the outside. The Empress -11 is a limited edition colorway of the 2027 Louisville Slugger Kryo2 -11, and it shares the same two-piece composite build, the same Kryo2 GO-EX+ Barrel System, VTX Connection System, XPND Performance End Cap, LS Pro Comfort Grip, balanced swing weight, sizes, and warranty. Louisville Slugger didn’t change the barrel or the swing for the Empress; it changed the artwork, trading the standard Kryo2 graphics for the art nouveau Empress design in purple, pink, gold, and blue. So the decision between the two is a style decision, not a performance one. If your hitter wants a bat that stands out in the rack and plays travel ball or high school, the Empress is the same bat with a better story.
QUESTION: Is the Kryo2 Empress -11 legal for high school and college play?
ANSWER: High school, yes. College, no. The Empress -11 carries USA Softball, USSSA, NSA, ISA, and WBSC approvals, and NFHS high school rules follow the USA Softball stamp, so it’s legal for high school softball anywhere that rule applies. Louisville Slugger, though, specifically states that the Kryo2 Empress -11 is not approved for college play, so a hitter who will swing it in an NCAA or NJCAA game needs a different bat. If college is on the horizon, look at the Kryo2 Empress -10, -9, or -8, or the standard 2027 Kryo2, and confirm the specific model against the current NCAA approved bat list before you buy. For travel ball under USSSA or USA Softball and for high school, the Empress -11 is good to go. As always, check your league’s approved list before game day, since those lists get updated.
QUESTION: Who should swing a -11, and when is it time to move up to the -10?
ANSWER: A -11 is for hitters who need the bat to be light to be quick: slap hitters, smaller or younger players, and anyone who’s consistently late or loses barrel control with a heavier bat. If your hitter is in that group, the Kryo2 Empress -11 is a strong choice, because the balanced swing and the XPND end cap make it forgiving for a player who’s still learning where the barrel is. The time to move to the Kryo2 Empress -10 is when the -11 starts to feel like nothing in her hands: she’s early on fastballs, she’s pulling pitches she used to drive to the opposite field, or she’s a stronger 14U or high school hitter who can swing an extra ounce at full speed through a whole doubleheader. A good test is the last at-bat of the day. If she’s swinging the -11 as fast in game four as she did in game one and the ball isn’t jumping, the -10 will reward her. If she’s late or getting beat, stay in the -11. Contact us anytime - we’re happy to talk it through!
QUESTION: What is the GO-EX+ Barrel System, and how is it different from the previous Kryo?
ANSWER: GO-EX+ is the Kryo2 generation’s barrel. Louisville Slugger built it with new composite materials and a larger gap between the barrel’s two composite walls than the barrel in the 2026 Kryo (which used the GO-EX1 barrel). In a double-wall composite, that gap is what lets the outer wall flex at contact and spring back, and a wider gap means more flex, which is why the Kryo2 feels softer in the hands and sounds the way it does. The VTX Connection System carries over with the same job, cutting vibration between barrel and handle, and the XPND Performance End Cap is unchanged. The practical difference for a hitter coming off a 2026 Kryo is feel: the Kryo2 is softer at contact and more forgiving on mishits, with the same balanced swing. If you’re shopping a 2026 Kryo on closeout against the Kryo2 Empress, the Empress gets you the newer barrel and the limited edition look; the older bat may get you a lower price. Both are good bats, and we carry both!
