Glove???

Hello, new to the site and I have a question or two. I have a 12 y/o who plays middle infield. She needs a new glove this year and I would like to get her a good one. I used a Wilson A2000L in high school and the same glove collage baseball. It still looks great and has good shape. I was told the newer gloves only last 3-6 years due to the tanning processes. Is this true?
Also, I'm looking at a 11.75 wilson A2000, but have been told thier not the same co. they were in the 80's. Is this true? Also, other sugestions for a good glove would be welcomed. Thanks Jason

Well for softball there arent that many great glove choices. Some girls will use baseball gloves instead.

I like traditional high quality gloves, full leather lined, stiff as a board when new. Gloves like these will last several years. The A2000 is the highest quality softball specific glove made for womens hands,but $$$ for a 12 yr old. There was a very good Schutt line a couple years ago too, but I dont think they make those anymore either. Saw one for $240 at a tournament and DD loved it.

I like the Rawlings gold glove fastpitch (discontinued this yr I think, saw on clearance for $39 recently). Wasnt popular at $100, but had a great 11.75" shallow pocket with open web for middle infield, full leather lined and trimmed. All leather palm molds to fit hand perfect with lots of use, but stiff, hard to break in and very little comfy palm padding so its not what most girls look for. But its a good middle infield glove, the pocket is so shallow the ball falls out if you dont sqeeze. When broken in it becomes an extension of the hand, not a cumbersomb glove.

Finding a quality softball glove for smaller hands with open web design is practically impossible these days.

Akadema makes some good gloves Im told, but have fabric/foam linings. I just dont believe that stuff will hold up that well to 100 practice/100 game seasons.

Most gloves are soft leather, lots of palm padding, fabric/foam lined, vinyl trimmed. They may not make it one season.

The most popular glove is probably the Mizuno MVP. AT $80 or so, it is leather trimmed, good design, fairly deep pocket even on the 11.75, but pre-softened leather etc. I wouldnt hesitate to buy the Mizuno, but wouldnt expect it to last several yrs either.

Nokona makes good quality gloves, but soft leather and insufficient stiffening in thumbs many times. Factory will install stint for $$. THey tend to go floppy quickly if and patterns arent as good to me as Rawlings, Mizuno, Wilson.

Several of my 18U players have Akadema gloves and like them. A couple of fielder gloves, a catcher's and first baseman's mitt. They broke in quickly and have held their pockets well. I also have an Adadema baseball glove. It's a little stiffer than I like at the moment but I'm working on it.

Nokonas seem good for catcher's mitts in particular. They make a nice snapping sound when pitches are caught.

As a baseball player I was always partial to Wilson gloves and mitts but that was a long time ago. Still, I would imagine they're still good. I have a Mizuno catcher's mitt that I love. I've had it restrung twice and every time I do it I fall in love with it all over again.

My DD (14, 9th grader) is getting a Nokona for Christmas, I'll have more info on it in a month or 2

Not the cheaper Nokona, but not the most expensive either, it's the Walnut series IIRC.

My daughter uses a Worth Liberty Advanced in 11.75" for middle infield. We bought it about a year ago - it's got about 120 games on it. It's holding up well. It took a little bit to break it in, but she loves it.

My daughter has had a Wilson a Mizuno and one I can't remember, they were ok but she is breaking in a new Akadema and loves it. She plays 16A now, she pitches and plays several other positions. It is still really stiff so we have some breaking in to do. The finger slots are smaller on this glove, my daughter likes that, she says it fits much better. It seems a lot lighter too than her old Mizuno. She still likes it too but it has worn laces and is really flimsy now. She plays a lot of games so this new Akadema will get a workout soon. At least we have the winter to break it in. Oh, its the ACE70 13" model, their fastpitch series, kind of mid price gloves. hope this helps some.

I have a similar question but I'm looking for an outfielders glove for my 13yr old daughter. I know most of the comments have been about infielder glove, any thoughts or recommendations on a solid outfielder glove? Size? I would think 13" but would like to hear others thinking.

softballfan94 said:

My daughter has had a Wilson a Mizuno and one I can't remember, they were ok but she is breaking in a new Akadema and loves it. She plays 16A now, she pitches and plays several other positions. It is still really stiff so we have some breaking in to do. The finger slots are smaller on this glove, my daughter likes that, she says it fits much better. It seems a lot lighter too than her old Mizuno. She still likes it too but it has worn laces and is really flimsy now. She plays a lot of games so this new Akadema will get a workout soon. At least we have the winter to break it in. Oh, its the ACE70 13" model, their fastpitch series, kind of mid price gloves. hope this helps some.

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DD has had the same Akadema (ACE 70 13") for about 3-4 years and absolutely loves it. Was a little stiff at first but it quickly got nice and soft, but keeps its shape well (had to tighten up the fingertip laces once), and is pretty light as well. Nice deep web...she plays both IF and OF with it. About $80 so it is in the mid-range.

Take a look at the Rawlings Sandlot seires. Open web, all leather and stiff thumb. A good glove for the near $100 from local sports store. I picked one up on EBAY for $35 plus shipping which makes it an excellent value IMO (I am a Rawlings fan). I believe they have 11.75". The one I bought was 12.5" as I recall. It has the look of an old fahioned well worn glove but with the more high tech supports and padding in the right places. The player I picked it up for loves it. She is a pitcher/infielder and it should last her a few years. To soften it a bit I used a product called "Super VII Leather Balsam" which is an all natural product made from ingrediants including beeswax and jojoba oil. Darkens a lttle, but had a nice effect on this lighter coloured glove. As I said, she is extrmemly pleased with the glove and how easy it has been to break in to this point. By the opening of the season it should be in game shape.

I've always been a fan of the Vinci gloves.

www.VinciPro.com