Mitt size screw up!!

[townhound]

My DD is 14 about 5' tall 120lbs. She has caught in rec league ball and looks to be 2nd string catcher for high school. She has always used a padded batting glove and her fielders glove. I had her try on various catchers gloves for sizing at dicks sporting goods. Seemed like a 33" fit her best so as a reward for trying out for the high school team(looks like she made it) and only being in 8th grade, I bought her a mitt.i bought a easton natural elit 33" off of ebay. I looks small!!! Its labeled 33" and fits her well but the overall size looks small, especially with a 12" softball sitting in it. So, is 33" to small for high school ball??? What is your experience with sizes???

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I bought a small one off of Craigslist that is fine. It is so small that I thought that it must be for baseball. Have her try the glove and see. My first thought is that it should be OK.

If you are stuck with something that you can't use, I bet you can re-sell it.

 

[knightsb]

My DD is 14 ... and only being in 8th grade...

townhound, not to hijack your thread, but make sure you check your states HS Activities Association regarding your DD eligibility. My DD is also an 8th grader. Our School District does not have middle school softball, so I contacted the HS coach about her playing on the HS JV squad. He informed me he would love for her to play, but he would much rather have her for all four years of HS. In other words, she only has four years of eligibility on the HS team. Here is what our HS Activities Association says:

A student shall not participate in more than four seasons in grades 9 - 12 in any interscholastic activity. A student shall have only eight consecutive semesters (four consecutive years) of eligibility in high school.

Just wanted to make sure you don't over look anything regarding her eligibility....

 

[JAD]

33" should be fine if she has average or larger hands. Small hands may work better with a 32". Make sure it is a softball catchers mitt and not a baseball mitt. If the pitchers she catches have a lot of late movement on their pitches, she will appreciate having the larger glove, but she still needs to be able to catch most pitches in the sweet spot! If she decides that it is too big after she breaks it in, sell it on Ebay and buy her a size smaller. You can also buy used gloves on Ebay. I bought a used Nokona catchers mitt for $75 and LOVE using it for bucket time!!!

 

[chinamigarden]

From what I have seen 33 - 34 seem to be standard HS sizes. Some kids use a bigger glove but it always looks to me to be a crutch for poor mechanics or technique

 

[Coach Fastpitch]

33 - 34 is pretty standard throughout 12U and up age groups. In fact I don't think I have ever seen a 35 or bigger fast pitch mitt in a girls game. I may have, but I don' recall one. Some gloves have a deep pocket which give the appearance of being smaller. DD used a Wilson for a few years that was 33.5. Went to a Vinci mitt this fall, also 33.5. If you looked at them, the Wilson looks much bigger because it has a shallow pocket compared to the Vinci. If you measure the circumference of both they are exactly the same.

 

[guero_gordo]

They range from 32.5" to 34.5" with a few exceptions. If the ball fits the glove and the glove fits her hand, that's most of the battle.
Some kids love that smallish glove that's just an "extension of the hand".
If the ball isn't popping out,(of a broken-in mitt) and her hand doesn't hurt, you're probably fine.

 

[Lenski]

My dd's glove is a 32.5" and she's 16. She's 5'4" tall and has medium sized hands. The mitt is made entirely of kip leather so it is also light weight but very durable. She absolutely loves her catchers mitt. The circumference of a mitt is not nearly as important as the size and shape of the pocket. Make and maintain a good pocket in that mitt and it should serve her well.

 

[MsDinosaur]

I'd just have her try catching with it and see how it goes. I'd try not to let her see that I was worried; it's so easy to poison the well and you just never know what they will and won't like!

However, if you do decide to re-sell it and look for something else, I highly recommend the Mizuno GXS92.

Congratulations to your DD, btw.

 

[chazbz1]

33 inch catcher's mitts can look big or small based on how they are design and manufactured. The Worth Shut Out is 33" and looking at the palm it looks huge.


In contrast,a Vinci JCV-VM looks very narrow and smaller but is still 33" (Much like your Easton)


The narrower mitts are designed with a deeper pocket. This is supposed to make it easier to keep the pitch in the mitt and reduced dropped pitches. From what I have seen, deep pocket mitts do work and are preferable for catching. I did see that Easton makes a baseball and fastpitch version of the Natural Elite. It looks like 33" is only for fastpitch but it is good to make sure you have match the sport and the mitt. (I have had more than one fastpitch catcher come to a lesson with a baseball mitt) Congrats to your daughter!