Here is what we have been told by the National ASA officials. USSSA allowed hotter bats in slow pitch and there were a lot of complaints that the ASA bats were not up to the same standards. The ASA made the decision to allow “hotter” bats for slow pitch. The new certification mark was then put on the bats that met the new “hotter” standards. We were specifically told that NONE of these bats could be used in Modified or Fast Pitch in 2013. It became virtually impossible to find a new bat without these certification marks. Therefore bats with this stamp are now ASA approved in Mens Modified and Fast Pitch games.