Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Any comments?

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We have seen several discussions in regards to girls (especially pitchers) wearing the defensive face mask. Here is something has me torn on how to react......

TRUE STORY...

Girl goes to pitching lessons with a very good, well known pitching instructor. Pitching instructor sees the girls gameface in her bag and asks the girl.... "how long you plan on wearing that thing?" Dad and girl looks at the instuctor and say..."Huh? What do you mean?" Pitching instructor replies, "most college coaches won't look twice at players that wear them? They would rather they didn't."

Now I know that you don't see college players wearing them but I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone would actually encouarge a player not to wear one.

Any comments.......

 

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Totally up to the kid at the college stage in my opinion. Totally up to me, the parent, until they reach college and I say WEAR IT if you want to pitch, play 3rd or 1st. No choice on my team.

 

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I require all my players to wear one, regardless of where they play. My DD was in the OF last year at practice. She had just taken her ripit mask off when a line drive was hit in the gap. She went after it, over ran it a bit and th ball came off the top of her glove and tagged her right in the eye.

Dropped her like a stone.

It only takes one bad hop, especially at a young age, to ruin a kid on the game. It is well worth the $50 or whatever they are.

 

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Unfortunately, I think that the pitching instructor was telling the truth as to some college coaches. I got dead silence for about five seconds when I asked this question at an NFCA course and then the coaches admitted that it was a factor for them. I'm thinking that with time that will change.

 

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Unfortunately, I think that the pitching instructor was telling the truth as to some college coaches. I got dead silence for about five seconds when I asked this question at an NFCA course and then the coaches admitted that it was a factor for them. I'm thinking that with time that will change.

and hear I thought dinosaurs were extinct . guess not. what the %%@&& difference does it make if a pitcher or a 3rd wears a mask or not. MD

 

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College pitchers today didn't wear them growing up. Times are a changing and with-in a few years they will all be wearing them as the younger kids now wearing them move up. Would a college coach pass on a stud pitcher because they wear a mask?

 

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First of all, any decision a parent makes about the safety and well being of their kids - softball related or not - should be respected by everyone. It is a personal decision, and every parent has different ideas about how to raise (and protect) their kids. It didn't take legislation to make me to wear a seatbelt, because long before any law took effect, it was a rule in our cars if you wanted a ride. But that was OUR choice.

Fortunately, my DD made it all the way through her playing years (from 4th grade through 4 years of pitching in college) with no seriouse incidents. No, she didn't ever wear a facemask while pitching - BUT, we had a family rule that it was MANDATORY for her to wear a batting helmet mask, BEFORE it was required. The decision on the helmet mask was primarily based on me not trusting wild pitching. Again - personal decision on what was good for OUR family.

Right or wrong, it is quite possible that a college coach may perceive wearing a face mask while pitching is a sign that you are frequently getting balls blasted straight back at your face. Or you don't trust your reflexes/skills enough. Is this fair? Well, many things that involve uneducated prejudice aren't fair. No third party knows exactly why anyone makes the decisions they do, and frankly - it's really none of their concern. Sure you can have an opinion, but that's where it ends.

If your DD currently wears a mask, and is considering playing in college, a parent must decide what's important FOR THEIR DAUGHTER. Wearing face masks is a relatively new concept, so I'm not surprised about the college coaches. Will they "warm up" to the idea and accept it as part of the game? Maybe when they start seeing more of them.

A novel idea would be to see the bats/balls detuned somewhat to bring the game back in line with what it used to be, because that is primarily the root of the problem.

 

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I like my daughter and her pretty, pretty face...not to mention the $4,000 worth of braces in her mouth...she will wear a face mask as long as we are making that decision. While pitching last year, she got nailed in the thigh by a very hard hit line drive...and it took her about 8 months to get past the skittishness THAT hit caused. Can you imagine if she would have taken that hit in the face? Not only could that ruin a kid on the game, but what if there is actual damage? Just had a story circulating about a young lady from our area that got hit in the face a few weeks ago that required surgery...followed up by North Carolina's pitcher getting hit in the mouth by a line drive during the NCAA tourney. To each his own, people can parent how they like, but no matter how quick my daughter's reflexes are, I'm not taking the chance of serious injury when it can be prevented or minimized by a lightweight protective mask. Just my opinion

 

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Now I know that you don't see college players wearing them but I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone would actually encouarge a player not to wear one.

Any comments.......

I would question if the person is ignorant and has had no experience with facial injuries occuring from balls either thrown or batted to the face. This person might benefit from some education regarding this type of injury and its sequelae --especially to an adolescent girl.
Very recently, I saw this type of injury (hard line drive to pitchers face -direct shot resulting in 2 fratures)...After the ED visit, the patient was kept overnight, then had to be seen by opthamology, plastic surgery and ENT. In addition, the child is missing school and parents are missing work.
I can't give a cost estimate to this type of injury but it isn't cheap and the bills, copays, deductibles and cost of missed days off work will add up fast For me personally, if we can prevent this type of injury by using a face mask then I am recommending we do so. My dollar drainer wears one and said its not a big deal to use--In fact, for the games we have played to date, there are more girls wearing them than not.

Just my opinion..

 

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So, should it become a mandatory rule? I think educating parents about the potential for injury, and the risks involved would be a good approach. Like I said about the seatbelt law (which I'm totally against) it should be a personal choice. It's NOT the law that makes me wear my seatbelt, it's the fear of getting thrown out of a rolling car and getting crushed! It's about educating yourself about the potential dangers, and making an informed decision based on your own perceived risk.

We make decisions like this every day. How risky is it to drive on a two lane highway with loaded semi trucks going the opposite direction? How about loaded semi trucks with drunk drivers? Sky Diving? It's a dangerous world out there, and unfortunately we don't realize just how dangerous until it hits close to home. Sometimes that's what it takes.

 

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Did anyone see the North Carolina P take a line drive off the chin in the Regionals against U-Dub? She never missed a pitch and then threw a no-hitter the next day.
I'm perplexed why none of the NCAA players that you see on TV wear them.

If you watch one of the OSU P's (sorry don't know her name) - she literally jerks (in what looks like fear) after her release to get her hands up to protect herself. Would a mask put her more at ease?

 

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Hopefully the college coach's prejudice against these masks will change with time. I hope very soon they will not even SEE the mask but the great pitcher underneath. The more our kids wear them, the more used to them I have become.

As said above, the bats, the balls and the hitting instruction has changed the game.

 

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can they make the mask out of clear type material so that the mask is not so visible? guy on our co-ed team last sunday took one in face after a weird bounce, he broke orbital bone and is now seeing surgeon..

 

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Would a college coach pass on a stud pitcher because they wear a mask?

This was my point exactly. I don't see any college coach passing on a stud pitcher just because she wears a mask.

Just a quick question, why is it mandatory for batters to wear face masks on their helmets but not mandatory in the field? Think about it ..... the batter sees a ball coming 40' at the average speed of 50-62 mph. She is require to wear the mask for protection of a wild pitch. The pitcher sees the ball coming from less than 40' at an average speed of 65-90 mph and is NOT required to wear a mask. That just doesn't make any sence to me.

I would question if the person is ignorant and has had no experience with facial injuries occuring from balls either thrown or batted to the face. This person might benefit from some education regarding this type of injury and its sequelae --especially to an adolescent girl.

The pitching instructor that said this is a college coach......

 

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All very good points. What I'm afraid is going to have to happen to change college coaches opinions on the face masks is there's going to have to be more serious injuries occurring on a more frequent basis. People tend to be more reactive, than proactive. Look how long it took for the seat belt laws to be passed. Thousands of people had to die first before these laws were passed and I'm sure cars were just as dangerous in the 70s as they were in the 90s.

 

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On topic, someone mentioned a player getting hit and lifeflighted yesterday, with a mask on. Anyone hear about this?

 

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The pitching instructor that said this is a college coach......

Being a college coach does not make a person an expert on facial injuries or injury prevention. Still a question of their ignorance on the issue and they may benefit from education on this.

 

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I think there's a HUGE misunderstanding with the mask. I've been told the same thing by college coaches, and asked them to explain in futher detail:

1. Absolutey no reason for an OF to wear one, unless they're AFRAID of the ball.

2. Corners wear a mask & turn their heads on balls in dirt and thrown dirctly at face= AFRAID.


All coaches stressed learn to field ball w/out fear, then the mask isn't an issue, but most have said that's usually not the case.

 

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Did anyone see the North Carolina P take a line drive off the chin in the Regionals against U-Dub? She never missed a pitch and then threw a no-hitter the next day.
I'm perplexed why none of the NCAA players that you see on TV wear them.

If you watch one of the OSU P's (sorry don't know her name) - she literally jerks (in what looks like fear) after her release to get her hands up to protect herself. Would a mask put her more at ease?

No but I tuned in shortly after wondering what the PURPLE KNOT on her chin was. And believe me, that kid was as good as Danielle Laurie if not better and got hit on the chin. It only takes 1 time to have a life altering impact. IGNORANCE & PRIDE!

It will take a college pitcher to lose her eye-sight or get killed for College Coaches to come around. Or same to one of their #1 prospects. Like Sammy says, some people have to experience it before they come around.

 

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Was watching a SEC game the other day and this came up in conversation. Michelle Smith commented that with the bat technology of today and the speeds that some of these pitchers are hitting that it would only be a matter of time before you start seeing college players wearing them and if they hadn't moved the mound back to 43', you would already see them. I liked it !