Infield Masks

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Jun 11, 2013
2,634
113
I think you are crazy to play P or 3B without one. The rest of positions are up to players. I think that the stigma is really going away. If you DD want to wear one absolutely tell her to keep wearing. DD never wore one except some times playing C and played a lot of 1B. I got her one and encouraged her but she just didn't. I did once see a P in 14U get hit in the face with a line drive and never have forgotten the sound.
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,612
113
SoCal
We are in CA. 16U level. We see most pitchers wearing masks but a lot don't. I would say about 60% do. My daughter plays 3rd and wears it during live play. At practices when coach is hitting ground balls she doesn't wear it but when they are having live hitting she wears it. When she play 2nd base or outfield she doesn't wear it.

And her coaches have told her wear it if you want to. I think in high school it has become an issue because most of the "cool" girls don't wear them, but my daughter still puts it on when playing 3rd during live BP or games.
Coach needs to hit the ball harder at practice.
 
Jan 29, 2016
151
28
Coach needs to hit the ball harder at practice.
Thanks for your input. They hit the ball to them hard enough.

Not sure what this has to do with the original post or posts after, but someone asked what happens in different parts of the country so replied.

If coaches are rocketing balls so fast that players cannot react not sure what the point of hitting the ball to them is.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,056
113
No kidding. The hardest hits I've seen girls take off their face masks have happened during practice.

DD never took one off the face during team practice, but she took a few over the years when I hit to her. The mask saved us from the ER several times after a bad hop. Further, the mask allowed me to test the edges of her fielding ability with far less concern about her getting hurt. I'd work up to some hard grounders and line drives one-on-one that I wouldn't risk doing during a team practice or game warmup.
 
Jul 27, 2021
284
43
Did you watch the Olympics...lots a gals are wearing face protection.

On Team USA there are a few of the older team members that are not wearing fielding masks but I guess that is because is wasn't prevalent like it is for today's youth players.

Have you seen any "competitive" men's soft pitch....pitchers are wearing hockey helmets.
 
Aug 17, 2019
89
18
Did you watch the Olympics...lots a gals are wearing face protection.

On Team USA there are a few of the older team members that are not wearing fielding masks but I guess that is because is wasn't prevalent like it is for today's youth players.

Have you seen any "competitive" men's soft pitch....pitchers are wearing hockey helmets.
A lot of men slow pitch pitchers are wearing catcher's shin guards too.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,339
113
Chicago, IL
I will bite.

Kid across the street from us who was a very good SB player, probably better then DD, got hurt being hit in face. DW insisted DD wore a face mask which I was good with. She was the 1st player on her Team to wear one. Part of her playing SB.

DD is quick and no ball ever came close to her mask but it was a part of her playing SB.

Forget about P, Felt OK about that, playing 3rd 20 feet from batter scared the heck out of me. Hate 3rd base. Kid I liked the least plays that. Kidding sort of.

She did stop wearing it If she played the Of when she got older.

Her highest level was 16u TB so can not speak to collage but she would have worn it if she played IF.
 
May 4, 2016
200
28
My dd umpired for the local rec league this summer. It was a mixture of pure rec teams and c or b level competitive teams. All the comp. teams wore masks and the rec teams, the ones most likely to get hurt did not. Anytime I watched a game I felt like I was waiting for the worst to happen.
 
Oct 14, 2019
904
93
In Florida, motorcycle riders are not required by law to wear helmets. I’m sure you all know what the helmetless riders are called.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,877
Messages
680,541
Members
21,555
Latest member
MooreAH06
Top