The 2021Louisville Slugger baseball bat lineup hit the market in October with BBCOR, USSSA and Youth improvements across the board.

The BBCOR bats are led by the 2021 Meta (-3), the one-piece Omaha (-3) and light-swinging Solo (-3). The Meta was completely redesigned for 2021 and includes a Meta PWR (-3) for power hitters wanting a bat with more “explosive performance,” the brand says. The new barrel construction in the Meta line offers a lighter composite end cap and will likely appeal to younger BBCOR players.

On the USSSA site, the Meta is new for the 2021 lineup. With the Meta previously available only as a BBCOR offering the demand was such that Louisville Slugger decided to expand the lineup. An updated connection piece and end cap in 2021 compare with the prior Prime model that it replaces in the USSSA lineup.

Omaha has been the Louisville Slugger bat of choice for players who prefer a one-piece design for many years. The 2021 bat was given a graphics overhaul and is exclusively available on Louisville’s website.

The USSSA Solo is now available in a -5 and -8 for the 2021 season.

Louisville Slugger is big on customization via their website. The 2021 Meta and Solo are available for customizing in both the BBCOR and USSSA models. The cost is $50.

Louisville Slugger will continue to be the brand of choice for college programs such as North Carolina, Arizona, Louisville, Georgia and Florida State.

For the 2020 season NCAA baseball (not High School Baseball) is implementing a couple bat rule changes. They include details on the White Bat Ban as well as compression testing before each game.

Compression Testing Before Each Series

Compression testing is standard college fastpitch bat procedure stuff. But, the NCAA baseball world has yet to enforce it during regular season. They do it in the NCAA world series and each bat gets certified before it can be taken to the plate. In fact, you’ll see a small sticker on each bat in the NCAA World Series. Now, NCAA baseball has decided to make that a requirement in the regular season as well. This starts with the 2020 season.

Apparently, there is serious concern among coaches about bat tampering.

These test will be done before a series start. You can read more about the NCAA ruling here. But, we stand by the idea, that the real tell tail sign would be WEIGHING the bats. Shaved bats lose a significant amount of volume on the inside of the barrel and, therefore, drive down the total weight. Most bats in the BBCOR space are 1 to 3 ounces heavier.

White Bat Ban (NCAA only)

Also, for the 2020 season, the NCAA is no longer allowing white bats. This is a safety concern that will allow pitchers to pick up the ball earlier off the bat—assuming its coming right back at him.

This white bat ban is NOT FOR HIGH SCHOOL.

The rule applies to every bat. So, even older Adidas Aero Burners, CAT 7s or Beast Whiteout Speeds from Easton will be retroactively made illegal.

How White is Too White?

We can’t get much clarification as to how white is too white of a bat. We’d guess things like white writing and logos are fine. But, bats with a base and background color that are white (like the 2019 Marucci CAT 8 or 2019 DeMarini Voodoo Balanced) would be illegal in NCAA 2020 play.

The most important bat we can think of in the BBCOR space, that is white, will be Marucci’s CAT series. But, that bat has enough iterations (like the Camo CAT and the OTM CAT 9) that the average NCAA player could find a replacement.