I have a question regarding bats. I was at a game Friday night. It was about 35 degrees out and the other team was up there swinging a Louisville Slugger OneX. I am sure you know this bat has been recalled by the manufacturer (and I think the reason is because it had been snapping in half). What are your thoughts on this? Should the ump remove from game? Can umps really be expected to keep up with manufacturer recalls?
Yes, it can be hard to keep up with all of the bat changes. Umpires are encouraged to print off the approved bat list and have it with them at games (high school/NFHS softball uses the ASA bat standards). The OneX now appears on the non-approved bat list, at the manufacturer's request.
Umpires should be proactive in staying on top of these changes. I know that the change was publicized on the ASA website. We also received an email from the state director of umpires that told of the change.
So, the obvious answer would be NO, this bat should not have been allowed in high school play. Hopefully it would have been caught in the pre-game equipment inspection. After that point, if a batter is using this bat in a game she would be subject to the penalty for using an illegal bat. In the case of high school play, the batter and head coach would be ejected.