Question about first base mitts

I tend to want to preface this, but my DD is coming from baseball and we haven't bought any softball related gloves, yet. Her fielding glove is a rawlings gold and seems to be working great for her outfielding. It's not an "OF" glove, but the high quality leather seems to be opening up and accepting the softball very well. I'm wondering about her 1b mitt though. Looking at the differences between BB and SB mitts, they don't seem to be huge. We did a lot of practicing this past weekend and she got the scoop on her right side down very well. Her left side seemed to really have an issue. It just wouldn't seat in the pocket and kept popping out. Should we just give it more time and open up the glove more? She's also the 2nd string catcher and uses her 1b mitt for catching. Hasn't been an issue so far. Her only goal is to relieve the main catcher some and not be a pro behind the plate. That being said, is there a big difference between a sb and bb 1b mitt that'd warrant me looking into purchasing one? She spent nearly a year getting her 1b mitt molded to exactly where she loves it. I'd hate to start that process all over again, especially when her time on her current team will be split between OF, 1B and C.

My DD found that the shallower pocket of a "baseball" 1B mitt was a problem for her. She prefers to use her regular fielder's glove at 1B. As for catcher, a lot will depend on the pitching she's handling. Proper technique helps prevent injuries, but mistakes happen, and in those cases having good protection is really important. My DD has used a proper catcher's mitt since she started playing the position at 9yo.

Eric F said:

My DD found that the shallower pocket of a "baseball" 1B mitt was a problem for her. She prefers to use her regular fielder's glove at 1B. As for catcher, a lot will depend on the pitching she's handling. Proper technique helps prevent injuries, but mistakes happen, and in those cases having good protection is really important. My DD has used a proper catcher's mitt since she started playing the position at 9yo.

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I think her fielders glove is probably too small for 1b. I think it's 11.5". Her 1b mitt is 13. I was going to eventually ask about a catcher's mitt though. I was looking at the few offerings they had at Dick's and honestly they felt quite flimsy. I'm not going to be looking for something like an A2000 for a secondary position, but any recommendations for a mid level glove that might be on clearance somewhere? I'm ALWAYS looking for clearance deals.

For serious softball, Dick's is generally useless. Talk to Drakemir. He's a Vinci rep. He can get you a good deal on a great catchers mitt at whatever price range you need. He could help with a 1B mitt, too.

Thanks Eric. I msg him.

Eric F said:

For serious softball, Dick's is generally useless. Talk to Drakemir. He's a Vinci rep. He can get you a good deal on a great catchers mitt at whatever price range you need. He could help with a 1B mitt, too.

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I will second this, Drakemir hooked us up with a quality "entry" level catchers mitt. My DD really loves her new Fortus and I was very happy with the price. I was pleasantly surprised with the break-in period. We will be buying a replacement fielders glove later this year from Drakemir.
Fast shipping, great price, great mitt, it doesn't get much better

Just ordered the JBV04 1b mitt from him. Says we should have it Friday. Thanks for the recommendation! Hopefully it breaks in quickly. It took probably close to a year for her current 1b mitt to really get fully broken in. Not high quality leather, thick and strong, just not "supple". Her new fielding glove is about half a year old and just starting to get usable now. Her catcher's mitt was by far the easiest, Wilson.

justanotherguy said:

Just ordered the JBV04 1b mitt from him. Says we should have it Friday. Thanks for the recommendation! Hopefully it breaks in quickly. It took probably close to a year for her current 1b mitt to really get fully broken in. Not high quality leather, thick and strong, just not "supple". Her new fielding glove is about half a year old and just starting to get usable now. Her catcher's mitt was by far the easiest, Wilson.

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Just for the fun of it, buy a Vinci JCV34 as her next catcher's mitt. Give yourself months - seriously - to break it in, which should include some Mafia-style beat-downs.

Eric F said:

Just for the fun of it, buy a Vinci JCV34 as her next catcher's mitt. Give yourself months - seriously - to break it in, which should include some Mafia-style beat-downs.

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I've learned lots about breaking them in. I have a rubber mallet that gets a great workout, then it spends its life between beatings with big olympic weights on it with a ball in the mitt to create the pocket. Her Rawlings gold is a solid glove and we had dicks do the steam break in thing too. It's still on the stiff side!

justanotherguy said:

I've learned lots about breaking them in. I have a rubber mallet that gets a great workout, then it spends its life between beatings with big olympic weights on it with a ball in the mitt to create the pocket. Her Rawlings gold is a solid glove and we had dicks do the steam break in thing too. It's still on the stiff side!

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Trust me on this...The JCV34 mitt is a beast on a different level. That said, once it's finally broken in, it's awesome.