Since January 1, 2020, a baseball has needed two marks on its cover to be legal for high school competition: the certification stamp of NOCSAE (the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment), verified by SEI (the Safety Equipment Institute), and the authenticating mark of the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations). Umpires check for both before a ball goes in the bag on game day.
Each mark does a specific job. The NOCSAE baseball standard, ND027, sets performance limits for weight, circumference, compression deflection load, and coefficient of restitution (COR), which is the measure of how lively a ball comes off the bat. The NFHS authenticating mark confirms the ball is licensed for play under NFHS rules, so every team in an interscholastic game is throwing and hitting the same specification.
Every baseball in this collection carries both marks. Stock a game bucket for varsity, junior varsity, or scrimmage play and it is ready for the umpire's inspection.
