Coach, do your pitchers wear masks?

[JayW]

It’s not a matter of fielding skill. It’s a matter of a line drive hit so hard that human reaction time is inadequate to protect the player from injury. Our 3B at HS is super athletic. Pitcher served up a meatball and large batter pulled it hard down the line. 3B got her glove up but the ball tipped off her glove and hit her fielding mask. Knocked her down and put a one inch dent in the front of the mask. What do you think this would have done to her face? Remember when Miranda Elish at pitcher got hit in the face by a catcher’s throwdown that she didn’t expect? No excuse not to wear a mask, especially at 3B or P.

 

[PharmerBrown]

And, sorry, but there are much greater societal implications for a girl with a scar on her face vs. a boy.

 

[daywalkerdad]

Never really understood why we make girls wear a mask, but same age group baseball they don’t wear mask? Why?
Maybe we aren’t teaching the girls how to play defense very well? i see them wearing them in the outfield?

In baseball throwing overhand they finish in a better position for fielding.

 

[daywalkerdad]

60.5/110 vs 43/80(?) not much difference in reaction time at the MLB level (where 110 would be possible) assuming those high end exit velocities are accurate and the difference in stride lengths isn’t huge (and yeah the units are mixed..sue me ..doesn’t matter for comparison purposes)

You also have to consider that the energy a batted baseball imparts (at the high end exit velocities) is larger than fastpitch as a baseball is about 5/6 the weight of a softball but the exit velocity is 1.5 times as large..

I haven’t studied fastpitch pitchers much but do they generally end up in a similar fielding position as baseball pitchers? I have to say it seems I have seen more fastpitch pitchers get hit in the face/head compared to MLB pitchers but there have been MLB pitchers which have been hit in the past few years.

A softball pitcher with a 7’ stride is only 34.5’ from the front of the plate. 34.5/80 is about 10% less time than 52/110.
Pitchers finish knee to knee.

Another dynamic is baseball is generally 6-12 degrees down. Softball 0-7. A 6 degree rise is over a pitchers head at 53 about 65” in softball.
The average mlb swing angle is 8 degrees my guess is softball will be 4-6.

 

[Tango]

I personally believe your girls should wear a mask but I'm not going to argue with parents over it. Resonantly at a camp with multiple college coaches present and one told the pitchers if you wear a mask I will not recruit you. About half removed their mask and at least two that I know said, I'll never play for him. My DD wasn't there.

Drives me crazy. My son a few years back had to wear a helmet with a facemask while playing pitcher (pitching machine age). DD didn't have to pitching at the same age. Boys didn't have to have a facemask on the helmet but girls did. The younger the age the softer the ball but it bounces higher and more likely to hit you in the face. Just ranting for no reason but all the above bothers me.

 

[daywalkerdad]

Ok..thanks?? You are obviously much better at fractions than I am..

No, just showing stride length even being the same does make a difference.

 

[Cagman]

These bats allow below average size girls with average bat speed to hit the ball 220’ without even swinging hard. A shot to the face from 35-40’ could kill a person. I’d have my kid wear one.

 

[MNDad]

It’s not a matter of fielding skill. It’s a matter of a line drive hit so hard that human reaction time is inadequate to protect the player from injury. Our 3B at HS is super athletic. Pitcher served up a meatball and large batter pulled it hard down the line. 3B got her glove up but the ball tipped off her glove and hit her fielding mask. Knocked her down and put a one inch dent in the front of the mask. What do you think this would have done to her face? Remember when Miranda Elish at pitcher got hit in the face by a catcher’s throwdown that she didn’t expect? No excuse not to wear a mask, especially at 3B or P.

If you’re going to use a freak accident like Elisha’s to justify mandating masks every player on the field and in the dugout should wear one. That had nothing to do with her position.

 

[Agcy]

All this and a softball will do more damage than a baseball.

 

[GIMNEPIWO]

As a coach, I personally feel that masks should be worn and that it should be mandatory for pitchers, But until it is:

1.)Most kids playing youth sports have a parent or guardian.
2.)Most of those parents / guardians are responsible enough to make certain their child follows their rules.
3.)Asking a coach or Umpire to enforce a non-existent rule of the game is ridiculous.