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So...NCAA just decertified my kid's bat for use in NCAA play.  For those of you who've seen things like this go down.  What do you think think the chances NFHS will do the same?  The didn't give any explanation in their press release.  Should I be digging for the receipt?

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.c...rDecertification.pdf

 

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Just purchased this bat for son a month ago. Called and talked to online site. They said they were just made aware and they have contacted Louisville Slugger and are waiting to hear back. It is just the 33 inch model and they think it is because the bat is out performing. They said that they would be taking care of their customers.

At this point, my son is in his senior year of HS and it has so far not been banned for use there, but concern is that it will be. 

Eokerholm posted:

That's the bat my son and teammates like. Not sure if they're swinging 33's or not. But the Meta was the most popular this summer/fall. 

Over half of our travel team had either the Meta Prime (red) or Meta (blue). Since most of the boys are over 6’ I’m guessing a lot of blue 33s in there.  
Lefty’s been in a bit of a slump lately. Thinks he’ll go back to his Solo if his Meta can’t be used for HS.  Get some different juju going.  

I was in the thick of this when the Demarini CF Zen youth bats were known to be the hottest bats around.  They were selling on eBay for hundreds above retail.  Just like the Meta Prime BBCOR from last year.  When they started to ban the Zen it was a few specific lengths first then the entire model year.  Once the sanctioning body is onto the design they will keep testing in all lengths and likely find enough that are out of spec to ban the whole model year in every length.

 

For the Zen,  they did not go back and ban the CF8 which was the same bat from the previous model year.  I would not be surprised to see the entire Meta model year decertified and the Meta Prime selling on eBay for North of $1,000 pretty soon.

Last edited by 22and25

Any more info on this? I went to the NCAA site and there is a list of decertified bats (in addition to the memo regarding the LS Meta) but many seem to be decertified due to a color scheme, as opposed to having too much pop. I don't think the memo specifies why the bat was decertified, but my reading comprehension has been getting worse as I get older. I wish I was being sarcastic about that, but I'm not. My own fallibility becomes more obvious every day... 

TerribleBPthrower posted:

Based on everyone's experience with previous bat banning, is it likely they will be banning the other lengths as well. If so, does anyone have a bat they'd recommend that will have a similar feel as the Meta? I'm not concerned about the pop but more the swing weight.

 

The Meta is on the light side of the balanced feel category.  The Louisville Slugger Prime would be very close in feel and could be acquired with the voucher.  It is also a 2 piece bat that will have similar feel at contact.  If your kid is more of a power hitter you should be fine looking at bats even further to the right of the Meta on this chart.  If more of a contact hitter you probably want to stay out of the end loaded section.  

If past bans on Wilson family bats are a guide, the voucher should be good for any Wilson brand.  You should also get to keep the difference to apply to another product.

For example:

$500 voucher, you select a $250 Demarini.  They send you the bat and a new voucher for $250.  You could then purchase a Wilson A2000 glove that cost $250.

 

This is how it worked when the Demarini Zen was banned a few years ago.  They may have tweaked the program since then.

22and25 posted:
TerribleBPthrower posted:

Based on everyone's experience with previous bat banning, is it likely they will be banning the other lengths as well. If so, does anyone have a bat they'd recommend that will have a similar feel as the Meta? I'm not concerned about the pop but more the swing weight.

 

The Meta is on the light side of the balanced feel category.  The Louisville Slugger Prime would be very close in feel and could be acquired with the voucher.  It is also a 2 piece bat that will have similar feel at contact.  If your kid is more of a power hitter you should be fine looking at bats even further to the right of the Meta on this chart.  If more of a contact hitter you probably want to stay out of the end loaded section.  

If past bans on Wilson family bats are a guide, the voucher should be good for any Wilson brand.  You should also get to keep the difference to apply to another product.

For example:

$500 voucher, you select a $250 Demarini.  They send you the bat and a new voucher for $250.  You could then purchase a Wilson A2000 glove that cost $250.

 

This is how it worked when the Demarini Zen was banned a few years ago.  They may have tweaked the program since then.

Thanks! This is great. The LS site explained the voucher exactly as you did. I guess the only pain is the 5 days it will take to get the new bat in his hands. 

Information on how to submit your bat and claim credit. Nice deal. Get a nice A2000 glove with your credit and use someone else's bat

https://www.slugger.com/en-us/2020-meta-33-update

HOW TO RETURN YOUR BAT

RETURN YOUR 2020 Louisville Slugger Meta (-3) 33 in./30 oz. BBCOR BASEBALL BAT, RECEIVE A VOUCHER:

Submit a claim using the form below to receive a voucher for the full value of your bat (Meta (-3) - $499.95 / custom Meta (-3) - $549.95 / Meta GLD (-3) - $599.95). This voucher can be redeemed for any inline stock or custom products on Slugger.com or the Wilson Family of Brands websites including DeMarini.comWilson.comATECsports.com or EvoShield.com.

Once you submit your claim, you will receive an e-mail with a pre-paid 2-Day Air shipping label. Upon receipt of your bat at our facility, we will process it and issue you a voucher via e-mail for your personal use for the retail value of your bat.

  • Vouchers are typically issued within two business days of receiving and processing your bat.
  • The voucher will serve as a form of payment on Slugger.com, or any of the Wilson family of brands’ websites. It will allow you to purchase any inline stock or custom product(s).
  • In the event you purchase a product or products that total a lower cost than the full value of your voucher, the balance will remain on the same voucher. Please retain the voucher number and pin for the use of the balance.
  • More details can be found in the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section.
Last edited by Eokerholm
TerribleBPthrower posted:
22and25 posted:
TerribleBPthrower posted:

Based on everyone's experience with previous bat banning, is it likely they will be banning the other lengths as well. If so, does anyone have a bat they'd recommend that will have a similar feel as the Meta? I'm not concerned about the pop but more the swing weight.

 

The Meta is on the light side of the balanced feel category.  The Louisville Slugger Prime would be very close in feel and could be acquired with the voucher.  It is also a 2 piece bat that will have similar feel at contact.  If your kid is more of a power hitter you should be fine looking at bats even further to the right of the Meta on this chart.  If more of a contact hitter you probably want to stay out of the end loaded section.  

If past bans on Wilson family bats are a guide, the voucher should be good for any Wilson brand.  You should also get to keep the difference to apply to another product.

For example:

$500 voucher, you select a $250 Demarini.  They send you the bat and a new voucher for $250.  You could then purchase a Wilson A2000 glove that cost $250.

 

This is how it worked when the Demarini Zen was banned a few years ago.  They may have tweaked the program since then.

Thanks! This is great. The LS site explained the voucher exactly as you did. I guess the only pain is the 5 days it will take to get the new bat in his hands. 

My player has both the 2020 Prime and Meta in 33inch models.  He said the swing/feel is almost identical between the two but (apparently so) the Meta had more pop.  The Prime has been sitting in the garage and has now moved to the bag.  Son said he has no qualms about transitioning between the two.  We haven't turned ours in yet.  May wait for a bit, as many of the bats we're looking at are currently out of stock, so might wait until towards the end of the window so the voucher will last a little longer.  Maybe get a 2021.  We are in full swing for season so being without and breaking in a new bat would be a bummer to do now.  

Slugger has had our bat return since Feb 20 with a warranty claim number... I've spoken with them several times: Two week back log.  They supposedly send an email when it's been processed shortly before they return a new one to you. 

Son cracked the 2019 Prime after 60 days of use.  They will send him a 2020 Prime.

Gov posted:

Slugger has had our bat return since Feb 20 with a warranty claim number... I've spoken with them several times: Two week back log.  They supposedly send an email when it's been processed shortly before they return a new one to you. 

Son cracked the 2019 Prime after 60 days of use.  They will send him a 2020 Prime.

I would keep following up.  Stock is flying off the shelf.  

My son decided on the Louisville Select PWR 33" as the alternative to a Meta.  It did not last two buckets of dad pitch before the end cap sheared and blow off the end of the bat.  Seriously, we owned this bat for six hours before it was broken into pieces.  what the heck?

select pwr blows up in one day

Of course, we will get a refund, but what bat should we get?  Should we try another Select PWR ... could this just be an unlucky defect?  Or should we look for a different brand?  What experience do you have with the LS Select PWR?  I was under the impression that it's construction is similar to the Meta, but with some end loaded balance.  Any advice for us?

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  • select pwr blows up in one day

The bat you are thinking of is the Meta PWR BBCOR bat.  Same materials, same bat, just end loaded instead of balanced. The Select PWR is a step down from the Meta. The Meta PWR is probably sold out everywhere at this point in the 33 inch? If you used your voucher for the Select, I would contact LS. I have heard the 2020 Prime is a decent bat with good pop? Anyone else using that bat?

mjd-dad posted:

My son decided on the Louisville Select PWR 33" as the alternative to a Meta.  It did not last two buckets of dad pitch before the end cap sheared and blow off the end of the bat.  Seriously, we owned this bat for six hours before it was broken into pieces.  what the heck?

Any advice for us?

Glue (epoxy) the cap back on. That will be your quickest remedy and the best. All the bats I've ever seen have what appears to be a thin line of simple glue holding the cap on. You may think that the cap coming off is a sign of inferior quality but you have to realize all bats are manufactured in a similar way. If you seal it with epoxy (properly) you can bet that the bat compression (pop) when hitting will be better than it was when you received the bat.

the end cap fractured (cracked) around the circumference, no way to glue it back on. Also, just learned that Dick's Sporting Goods refuses to accept it as a return even though we had just purchased it yesterday.  Shame on Dick's for abandoning their in-store service value proposition.  i guess DSG wants me to do all my shopping online and stop going to their brick and mortar locations.

  

 

Last edited by mjd-dad
mjd-dad posted:

the end cap fractured (cracked) around the circumference, no way to glue it back on. Also, just learned that Dick's Sporting Goods refuses to accept it as a return even though we had just purchased it yesterday.  Shame on Dick's for abandoning their in-store service value proposition.  i guess DSG wants me to do all my shopping online and stop going to their brick and mortar locations.

  

 

Yep, that changes things a bit! You have no choice other than to work with the manufacturer.

mjd-dad posted:

the end cap fractured (cracked) around the circumference, no way to glue it back on. Also, just learned that Dick's Sporting Goods refuses to accept it as a return even though we had just purchased it yesterday.  Shame on Dick's for abandoning their in-store service value proposition.  i guess DSG wants me to do all my shopping online and stop going to their brick and mortar locations.

  

 

This is nothing new with regard to their bat return policy.  If it's been unwrapped you can't return it.  If it's broken, it's a warranty issue between you and the manufacturer.  

You are not likely to find an online retailer with a much different policy.  Some may say you can use it and send it back or exchange it but I doubt you would get the benefit of such a policy twice.  As for a warranty item, none of them are going to take back a broken bat.

 

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