We love bats; that's no secret.
In fact, when you visit JustBats.com there are 140+ different filters to narrow your bat choices. From the simple (softball bats or baseball bats) to the granular (18' length bats or 37' length bats) to the best deals (pick your packs or bats with free gifts), there are a lot of ways to find your perfect bat. But, with so many bat options and categories, there is always room for confusion. One question we receive a lot is What's the difference between Junior Big Barrel bats and Youth Big Barrel bats?
Before we answer this question, here are some resources to answer other common bat questions we receive:
- What's the difference between balanced bats vs end loaded bats?
- How to select the right bat size and length?
- What's the USABat Standard?
- Recommendations for best BBCOR baseball bats?
Now, back to the original question. What are the differences between Junior Big Barrel baseball bats and Youth Big Barrel baseball bats? To start, Youth Big Barrel bats are commonly referred to as Senior League or Senior Big Barrel Bats too. Senior League is the terminology used by bat manufacturers, but they're the same thing. Senior League refers to the category of the bat, while Youth Big Barrel is the type of bat. The terms have become interchangeable, though.
Senior League or Youth Big Barrel? They're the same thing.
Junior Big Barrel Bats
Junior Big Barrel baseball bats are actually Coach Pitch bats. Seriously. So, these bats are meant only to be used in Coach Pitch Leagues, because they're intended to help young players learn how to swing a light-weight bat. These bats have thin walls but have a big barrel so that young players can easily hit a baseball. These are fragile bats and are perfect for Coach Pitch games where a coach controls the pace and speed of the incoming pitch. Other details of Junior Big Barrel Bats:
- Also called Coach Pitch bats
- Meant for ages 5 through 7 (Coach Pitch or young players)
- -8 to -13.5 length to weight ratio
- 26" to 34" in length
- 2 5/8" or 2 3/4" barrel diameter
Youth Big Barrel Bats
Whether you call them Senior League bats, Big Barrel youth bats, or Youth Big Barrel bats, these are baseball bats used for the key transition from Junior Big Barrel to BBCOR. USA Baseball recently introduced the USABat Standard, so there are two types of youth big barrel bats: USA Baseball approved bats and USSSA approved bats. Other details of Youth Big Barrel Bats:
- Also called Senior League bats
- Ages 8-13 (8th grade and younger)
- -5 to -12 length to weight ratio
- 27" to 34" in length
- 2 5/8" or 2 3/4" barrel diameter
Youth Big Barrel baseball bats are heavier compared to Junior Big Barrel bats. But, the key difference in the two types of big barrel baseball bats is that Junior Big Barrel bats are exclusively meant for younger players for Coach Pitch Leagues while Youth Big Barrel bats are for older players to use in USA Baseball, or USSSA approved Leagues.
Which do you swing: Junior or Youth? Let us know.
If you ever have any baseball bat or softball bat related questions, don’t hesitate to give our Bat Experts a call at 866-321-2287 .
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