Even though there are numerous stories about softball players suffering serious injuries after being hit in the face with a batted ball, no one -- at least on the high school and college levels -- is required to wear a protective mask on the field. In fact, many young players feel discouraged to do so because they believe colleges won't recruit mask-wearing players, figuring they must be too scared to play the field.
Slowly, though, this resistance to masks -- particularly for pitchers, first basemen and third basemen, the most likely players to be on the business end of a line drive -- is wearing down. For one thing, more players, despite the risk of being shunned by college softball program, are wearing masks anyway. And for another, at least one state high school authority -- though rebuffed to make it a national rule for pitchers and corner infielders to wear masks -- is recommending their use.
From the Kentucky High School Athletic Association:
The Board of Control, based on a proposal from staff, a review of available injury data from the NFHS RIO system and the recommendation of the KMA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, recommended [on July 15] that players at first base, third base and pitcher utilize the permissive requirement in the playing rules and wear face/head protection.
The KHSAA proposed an amendment in 2014 to the national playing rules in fastpitch softball which would have required protective gear to be worn at those positions, but the proposal did not receive a favorable vote from the national rules committee.
The NFHS RIO system to which Kentucky refers is an online injury reporting system run by Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, that is backed by, among others, the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS), which oversees state-level associations that run high school sports. It's been collecting injury data since the 2005-06 academic school year, and its latest information is from 2011-12.
There are year-to-year variances, but what sticks out consistently is that while softball has among the lowest injury rates of nine sports tracked by the RIO system, it has a relatively high proportion of head and neck injuries, in large part because of batted balls. To compare it with baseball, in 2011-12 softball had a greater rate of overall injuries (1.46 per 1,000 "athlete-exposures" for softball, 0.83 for baseball), a greater percentage of head and neck injuries (30.8% to 21.5%), a greater rates of concussions (21.2% to 14.6%), and a greater rate of injuries that occurred while fielding a batted ball (28.5% to 18.9%). As an aside, 35.1% of all softball injuries occurred in the fourth inning, for some unknown reason. These findings are consistent with other studies on softball injuries.
It's not hard to figure out why the batted-ball injury rate would be so much higher in softball than baseball -- the field is smaller. Though the mound was moved back three feet in recent years, it's still only 43 feet from the pitcher to the plate in high school softball, compared with 60 feet, 6 inches for baseball. The length between bases is much shorter too -- 90 feet for baseball, 60 for softball. Any line drive can be dangerous in either sport, but it can be worse in softball because the smaller field gives players less time to react.
The NFHS has a national rulebook for softball (and other sports) that state associations are not required to follow, but most do. (For one thing, your state can't get on an NFHS committee if it doesn't.) That is why Kentucky, pushed by softball parents after some gruesome injuries from batted balls, tried to get the rule on masks changed on a national level to requiring them instead of merely allowing them. Also, that's why Kentucky is recommending masks but is not requiring them.
With the numbers so overwhelming on injuries caused by batted balls, why is there still resistance to requiring masks? Mainly, as I mentioned earlier, that there are college coaches -- reflecting a culture of "toughening up" over wearing masks in the field -- and other softball veterans who see wearing masks as a sign of weakness, or something that will get in the way of a fielder's vision.
Personally, I find that ridiculous. My daughters, at the pre-high school level, have worn masks. For a pitcher, a mask is required in their league. The debate over masks to me seems akin to arguments over requiring the use of seat belts in cars. If something so simple can make a big difference in safety, then what's the harm?
