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Baseball players, parents and coaches: if EVERY at-bat matters to you, you're at the right place!

When you want the best baseball bats for travel tournaments, school baseball games or even recreational baseball leagues, you've found them! We're LongballBats.com and we've got an ENORMOUS selection of the hottest baseball bats for USSSA, BBCOR, USA Baseball, Little League, Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth, PONY, Dixie Youth, AABC, NCAA and NFHS - and they're ALL available with our ProMAX Heat Roll/Break-In Process with Progressive Pressure for maximum performance! We've been in business since 2016, we're the Bat Performance Experts and our friendly staff has more than 100 years of combined experience with baseball and softball. Email us or call us at 336-618-7487 for professional recommendations and answers to all of your questions!

Baseball Bat Buying Guide: USA vs USSSA vs BBCOR, Alloy vs Composite, and How to Pick the Right Bat

 

Shopping for a new baseball bat should be fun - but the wall of certification stamps, barrel sizes, and drop weights can turn a simple purchase into a headache! Our friendly team at LongballBats.com has been living and breathing bats since 2016, and this guide walks you through everything you need to know before you buy your next one.

 

Bat Certification Stamps: USA Baseball, USSSA, and BBCOR

 

The first thing to check is which stamp your league or tournament requires. Get this wrong and the umpire will pull the bat out of your kid's hands.

 

USA Baseball bats carry the USA Baseball stamp that became the standard on January 1, 2018. Little League, Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth, PONY, Dixie Youth, and AABC all use it. USA bats have a maximum barrel diameter of 2-5/8 inches and are built to a lower performance standard, so they play closer to the way the bat feels at the higher levels. Drops typically run from -5 to -13.

 

USSSA baseball bats carry the 1.15 BPF stamp and are the bats you see in travel ball and most tournament play. USSSA allows barrels up to 2-3/4 inches and a wide range of drop weights, usually -5 through -12. These are the hottest youth bats on the market and the best choice for players who want maximum pop.

 

BBCOR bats are required for high school (NFHS) and college (NCAA) play, and several 13u and 14u leagues use them as well. BBCOR stands for Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution, and every BBCOR certified bat is a drop 3 with a 2-5/8 inch barrel. Once a player hits high school, this is the only stamp that matters.

 

Alloy Bats vs Composite Bats

 

Alloy bats are made from aluminum alloy. They are typically less expensive, they hold up better in cold weather, and they tend to dent rather than crack when they finally wear out. An alloy barrel gives you a slightly smaller sweet spot and a bit more sting on mishits, but a lot of hitters love the crisp feel and feedback.

 

Composite bats are built from layered carbon fiber and resin. Composite barrels offer a larger sweet spot, lighter swing weights, and a noticeably softer feel on off-center contact. They cost more, and you should avoid using a composite bat in temperatures below 60 degrees (F) because cold weather makes the material brittle and prone to cracking.

 

Hybrid bats pair an alloy barrel with a composite handle, giving you the durability of aluminum with the reduced vibration of composite.

 

One-Piece vs Two-Piece Bat Construction

 

A one-piece bat is a single continuous piece of material from knob to end cap. It is stiffer, transfers more energy directly into the ball, and gives the hitter honest feedback. Strong hitters who already square the ball up consistently generally prefer one-piece bats.

 

A two-piece bat joins a separate barrel and handle with a connection piece. That joint flexes through the swing, adds a little whip, and absorbs vibration so mishits don't sting the hands. Contact hitters, younger players, and anyone still developing their swing usually get more out of a two-piece design.

 

Which Bat Should YOU Swing?

 

Match the bat to the player, not the other way around. Here is what most players are swinging:

 

Ages 4 to 8: 25 to 29 inch bats in the 14 to 19 ounce range. Bat control beats power at this age.
Ages 9 to 10: 28 to 30 inches, 18 to 20 ounces, usually a drop 10 or drop 11.
Ages 11 to 12: 30 to 31 inches, 22 to 23 ounces. Moving to a drop 8 here prepares the hitter for heavier bats down the road.
Age 13 (USSSA or USA): 31 to 32 inches in a drop 5, which builds strength for the jump to BBCOR.
Ages 13 to 17+ (BBCOR): 31 to 34 inches, drop 3, with 32/29 and 33/30 the most common sizes.

 

Power hitters with strong hands tend to love end-loaded, one-piece alloy bats. Contact hitters and players who value bat speed usually do better with balanced, two-piece composite bats. If a player cannot hold the bat straight out at arm's length for 30 seconds, it is too heavy.

 

Why Buy Your Bat From LongballBats.com?

 

We are not a big box store with a seasonal bat aisle. LongballBats.com is a bat company, and we are the Bat Performance Experts.

 

Real expertise. Our staff has over 100 years of combined baseball and softball experience, and we've shipped tens of thousands of bats all over the world. When we call ourselves Bat Performance Experts, we mean it.


Free bat recommendations. Not sure what to buy? Reach out and we will help you pick the right bat for your player, league, and budget.


Huge selection of brand new bats. We carry Easton, DeMarini, Louisville Slugger, Marucci, Rawlings, Victus, Warstic, Axe Bat, Mizuno, StringKing, True Temper, Stinger, COMBAT MFG, Anderson Bat Company, 44 PRO, Dirty South Bats, Hit Anywhere, Short Porch, Soldier Sports, Tucci and more!


Every certification covered. USA, USSSA, and BBCOR bats in every popular size and drop.

 

Ready to find the right bat? Browse our full lineup of USA, USSSA, and BBCOR baseball bats at LongballBats.com, or contact us and let a bat performance expert point you in the right direction.

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