Marucci’s 33-inch Cat 5 bbcor baseball bat has been banned by the NCAA and NFHS: February 20, 2012.
The 33-inch model of the 2011 Marucci Cat 5 Adult Baseball Bat has been decertified by both the NCAA and NFHS, and it will be illegal this season in college or high school baseball.
The NCAA announced the decertification on Friday. The NFHS, the national governing body of high school sports, followed suit on Tuesday in an e-mail memo to state association athletic directors.
As a result, the 33-inch Marucci Cat 5 is considered a non-compliant bat in both leagues and leagues that follow NCAA or NFHS rules. Hence, there is a ban, it is banned, it is illegal!
The decertification affects only the 33-inch model; all other Marucci bats, including the Marucci Black and other Cat 5 sizes are still legal.
Marucci has set up a process for customers to return their decertified baseball bats. You can find detailed instructions at Marucci’s website.
Bats must be returned to Marucci by March 31, 2012 to receive a replacement.
Marucci has released a FAQ, which we’ve re-posted below.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Will Marucci replace my 33×30 Cat52 BBCOR?
A: Yes. We stand behind our products and will replace your 33×30 Cat52 BBCOR with another Marucci bat.
Q: What are my options in replacing my bat?
A: You can find out more details on Marucci’s return program for the 33-inch CAT52 BBCOR bat at www.maruccisports.com/returns.
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR BATS TO OUR STORES – THEY MUST BE RETURNED TO MARUCCI ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS FOUND AT www.maruccisports.com/returns.
Q: When can I expect to receive my replacement bat?
A: Marucci will process returns in the order that they are received and anticipates sending out the first replacement bats in March. For those opting to upgrade to the Marucci Black or choosing the Professional-Cut Wood bats, Marucci will begin fulfilling returns immediately.
Q: Why was the 33-inch CAT52 banned?
A: A very small sample of three bats was tested and those results were assumed to apply to the thousands of bats in the field.
Read this to learn more about the BBCOR standard.
Is there a list of other BBCOR bats that are no longer “BBCOR Certified”? My son’s high school coach just informed him that his (BBCOR .5) Rip It Prototype II is illegal.
this is a crock of $#!&…We cant get the new bat till after the season starts…also Easton and the other bat makers need to suck it up Marucci did nothing wrong..This BBCOR is getting out of hand ENOUGH ALREADY
What about 32 inch
what about the 34″?
if they ban my marucci black i will up and quit baseball they need to make up their minds about which bats are legal and which ones aren’t
This is the only bat that has been decertifed under the new standards.All other bats are good excpt the 33 inch Marucci.32 is fine.The marucci black is also fine.Scott check with the high school atletic office in your state.
i swing the 33 inch cat 5 and ive only one coach complain, why is it that the 33 inch is banned but not the others?
Is the 32 inch banned
is the 29/19 2 1/4 cat5 banned
I bought a 31-26 Marucci Cat5 Senior League bat and have only used it in 5 practices(125 swings) and it is rattling. Bat has alot of pop but for how long???
If something seems to good to be true it usually is. This was no exception to that rule. The Marucci Cat 5 was the hottest bat on the market.
At our recent Umpire Association meeting held January 28th, we were informed that the Marucci Cat 5 32″ bat has now been added to the list of decertified bats. I have not been able to determine for sure if that is actually true or not and would like to hear from someone with Marucci that can confirm this or refute it.