Louisville zephyr vs Mizuno gxs92

[bwill]

Dd is a "beginning" catcher. She currently plays 10u travel, but is also on a 12 u rec team where she catches a couple 12u travel ball pitchers.

She has been using the Louisville mitt. It is light weight and seems to work ok, but does seem to be a little better with the 11" ball than the 12" ball. Definitely seeing balls "pop" out at times, but I'm bot sure if this is just due to her inexperience.

The zephyr is listed as 32.5". Should I be looking at a 34" mitt? I've noticed several posts praising the gxs92-would this be a better choice than her current mitt?

 

[CPSBDad]

I'd stick with the smaller mitt. Going up in size usually increases weight. DD has gone through several catcher mitts to find the one that works for her best. Louisville Catalyst. I think it's 33". Broke in quickly and the ball stays in the mitt. It's important that pitchers have confidence that their catcher will catch the ball.

 

[MsDinosaur]

DD had an Easton Stealth in 10U that she loved, but the balls popped out of it easily. She's at 12U now and got a Mizuno 92 this fall. It's a super, super mitt for this age range. The balls just do not come out. It's also not heavy and is very comfortable, looks nice and it didn't need much breaking in. If you don't mind dropping the $80 or so, I highly recommend it.

 

[CobraAssist]

Wife talked me out of the Mizuno and we bought the Zephyr. I regret listening. For $80, you get a pretty quality product with the Mizuno. Don't care for the Zephyr AT ALL!!!!

 

[FDT92]

DD used a first base mitt for the first couple of years (she is now 16). Moved up to LS VK204 Valkyrie earlier this year and then just switched to the Mizuno 92. LOVES IT.

 

[guero_gordo]

Based on DD's experience, I would humbly suggest the springy H-type webs for someone who struggles a bit to hold the ball. The closed web seems to magnify that problem, unless she's losing it off the heel.

 

[02Crush]

Bigger Ball....Bigger Mitt
That's all...That's it..

 

[marriard]

Dd is a "beginning" catcher. She currently plays 10u travel, but is also on a 12 u rec team where she catches a couple 12u travel ball pitchers.

She has been using the Louisville mitt. It is light weight and seems to work ok, but does seem to be a little better with the 11" ball than the 12" ball. Definitely seeing balls "pop" out at times, but I'm bot sure if this is just due to her inexperience.

I believe the Mizuno GX-92 is the best catcher's mitt for the money. Great glove - all our catcher's love it.

 

[chazbz1]

I use an Easton SYN2FP when working with my fastpitch catchers. This is a 33 inch mitt designed for fastpitch. Anytime my catchers are dropping pitches, I trade them gloves. (Yes I have small hands :-D)
Invariably they no longer drop pitches. I got mine from Ebay for under $50. It's a great glove that breaks in quickly. I would not be looking at at anything bigger than a 33 inch glove for your daughter's age.

No matter which glove you choose, it should be designed for female catchers. This seems simple enough but I see many female catchers come in with baseball mitts. The most important thing is to get a glove that she can catch the ball with.

-Chaz @ ACC