Thread: Is a fielding Face Mask necessary?

My daughter actually uses a pair of women's lacrosse "goggles" and mouthguard. This solution provides good protection to the most sensitive areas of her face, while still being incredibly comfortable. She likes it because it looks cooler and is much more comfortable when it is 90+ degrees and 80%+ humidity. It also doesn't slide around when she gets hot and sweaty, like many of the full masks do. I think Bangerz is the only company marketing this style of mask specifically for softball/baseball. We got hers from STX Lacrosse. it was pricier than a plastic mask, but made out of titanium so it is very light and very strong.

Originally Posted by ToddTX

My daughter actually uses a pair of women's lacrosse "goggles" and mouthguard. This solution provides good protection to the most sensitive areas of her face, while still being incredibly comfortable. She likes it because it looks cooler and is much more comfortable when it is 90+ degrees and 80%+ humidity. It also doesn't slide around when she gets hot and sweaty, like many of the full masks do. I think Bangerz is the only company marketing this style of mask specifically for softball/baseball. We got hers from STX Lacrosse. it was pricier than a plastic mask, but made out of titanium so it is very light and very strong.

i looked at that. do you have her wear a mouthguard too?

FYI - there's more discussion re masks in a separate thread in the new equipment forum


(DD wears the Rip It when playing 3B or 1B. She tried on the DMask and Gameface but best visibility was w/ the Rip It. Weight was not an issue b/c she's primarily a catcher so anything else is light by comparison.)

Originally Posted by fastpitch

i looked at that. do you have her wear a mouthguard too?

Definitely. She's got braces right now, so even relatively soft impact could tear up her lips. But even after the braces come off we will make her wear a mouthguard.


Another thing about the mask we got, is that the padding is made out of silicone so it is easy to clean and doesn't cause her face to break from all of the soaked up sweat.

It is coming, it has to , its called evolution.

There was a time football wore no helmets, then padded leather, then plastic but no facemasks, then a single bar facemask, to what we have today.

It wasnt that long ago (1970s) that softball players did not wear batting helmets either.

Eventually common sense prevails. But thats not a bad thing, protective gear makes the game more aggressive.

Originally Posted by StacieM

Back when I was playing I balked at playing 3rd with a mouthpiece. But the game is different NOW than it was then. The bats are designed for more a heck of a lot more pop - it's now coming faster that never. The balls are also designed to fly! The infields are now all skinned....no grass to slow the ball down. EVERYTHING in the game seems to be designed to have the ball launch off the bats.

People always say that things like, no one ever used masks before. That's true, but this is not "before." The bats are different, the balls are different, the field is different. "Technology" has changed the game and has, at the same time, made it more dangerous for fielders.

While it's true that players never wore masks before, I have to admit that I have not heard about so many pitchers and corners taking shots to the head the way I do now. It's scary!

One of the better pitchers in a local league got hit in the head twice within just a month or two. She's always had heat and always relied on it. She's getting to the point where throwing it hard isn't working any more. Hitters can hit it. So part of the danger is these overpowering pitchers learning too late that they can't overpower everyone with speed forever. But on the other hand it's just the nature of the game now - especially off a hard throwing pitcher...the ball WILL come back harder and faster than ever before. It's never the soft hits that nail someone in the face or head, it's going to be the balls that are hit really well that will catch players and those, of course, will also be the ones that will do the most damage. And the head is not the only body part that is at risk. I remember a story about a lacrosse player that died on the field from getting hit in the chest with the ball. I would hate to hear of that happening on the softball field too.

You hear more about these things for several reasons. I think it goes without saying, the internet and social networking has a lot to do with that. Players have been getting hit with line drives for years, nothing new there, but it was considered "part of the game" and an inherent danger of which everyone was aware. Quite often these stories are pure fiction or there is a fair amount of embellishment to reinforce one's point or just get off on telling tales. That, however, but that does not diminish the harm caused to player that has suffered injury.

To add to that, the technology DID advance at a rapid pace. However, in the FP game, there was also a simultaneous demand to make the game more enjoyable and marketable and that wasn't going to happen with 1-0 games all over the scoreboard. So, the pitcher's plate is moved back and those pitchers with the heat now have batters getting around and hitting the ball with these hi-tech bat. And as a response, you seem to now have more pitchers cheating (to the point of being coached to do so) and they are now getting closer to the plate, hi-tech bat and that screaming line drive coming back at her.

In another move to put more offense into the game, the "slap" and bunt regain the popularity they had years ago to the point that it becomes a specialty of some players. And the slappers are afforded the benefit of doubt as to where their feet are when making contact to the point that the NCAA totally negates a pitch which hit a slapper out of the box. Unfortunately, with the 60' bases and the improved athleticism of the players, the corners HAVE to come in just to get a chance to throw out a batter-runner.

So, what is the answer? Players throughout all levels and games of softball have insisted they be able to take advantage of whatever new technology is available. The only problem is there have not been any technological advances to help that defender to get the glove between the player and the ball any quicker.

This demand is always accompanied by visions of a new level of offensive accomplishment by themselves or children that would never be attained without the technology. And that is fine until they or their DD have to go into the field and face the opponent who also has these new, hi-tech bats. Then comes the dark side and in true American stupidity people start doing whatever necessary to win including cheating and, in turn, making the game even more dangerous And why,you ask? Because the other guy is doing it, so I have to do it also.

Remember a few years ago when any mention of bat testing or altered bats was immediately dismissed as a slow pitch problem? We don't seem to be seeing those claims any longer. Even NCAA baseball which for nearly a decade has allowed bat companies to "self-certify" there bats have awakened to this problem. Of course, their knee-jerk reaction is going to cost a lot of people (not the schools) a lot of money.

So my answer is an either/or proposition. Either return to the equipment being used 15-20 years ago or adjust the field (by moving the bases to 65') and change the rules and enforcement to once again level the playing field for both dugouts, not just those marketing the game for profit.

JMHO