The time has come for the Sanctioning our bodies of grownup softball and youth fastpitch softball to require all softball pitchers and third basemen to put on a protecting softball face mask. Whereas the precise threat of being hit within the face with a line drive is slight, the severity of the harm might be blindness and even dying. In response to the U.S. Client Product Safety Fee in 1991 reported that greater than 100,000 circumstances of facial trauma occurred in youngsters youthful than 14 years whereas they participated in sports activities actions with a surprisingly excessive incidence of feminine pitchers which might be hit with a batted ball.

A few real life examples that I’ve witnessed first hand. Just a few years again when my daughters softball staff was only a 10 12 months old staff, we had the chance to play a Excessive College Junior Varsity staff. Throughout that recreation, considered one of our 10 12 months old women hit a line shot again on the pitcher. The pitcher was simply in a position to transfer her head sufficient that the ball glanced off the aspect of her head simply above her ear. She instantly fell to the bottom and everybody rushed the sector to see about her. Luckily the ball had glanced off of her fairly than a straight on blunt affect. She solely suffered from a fairly extreme abrasion on her head, a swollen ear, and a fairly good measurement knot on her head. Perceive that I am speaking a few pretty athletic 14 12 months old woman solely had the prospect to react and switch her head about 45 levels to keep away from a ball hit by a 10 12 months old woman cloth face mask B08MZHJD16.

Simply this season I used to be watching a fastpitch softball recreation of 12 12 months old women. I used to be sitting by the daddy of the third baseman and we have been discussing how scary it’s that coach’s have the third baseman play so near home plate. Many third baseman now play about 20 ft inside third base and even nearer when the coach thinks the opposite staff goes to bunt. Later that very same inning, a batter ripped a line drive about 18 inches immediately over his daughter’s head. She did not even have time to flinch. Actually, it was so sudden she did not have time to duck or transfer her arms for defense. The dad, relieved that his daughter was okay, stated, “That is it. I am on-line tonight and can purchase a protecting face mask. She will not play third base once more with out one.”

One may suppose a protecting face mask is barely relevant to ladies softball, however that may be naive. Simply two years in the past, I met a person that performed leisure sluggish pitch softball. He proceeded to inform me that he nonetheless performs softball however he can now not pitch. He had been struck in his proper eye socket with a batted ball and couldn’t threat being struck once more. Are you prepared for this, it took three surgical procedures and 189 stitches to repair the injury to his eye socket, nostril, and cheek. I do not know his actual age, however I believe he was in his late 20’s or early 30’s when the harm occurred.