Equipment
What equipment does the league provide?
The league makes available bats, balls, batting
helmets, and catcher’s gear. Mouthguards are sold at the concession
stand.
What kind of equipment does a Leaguerette player need
to buy?
Each player should have her own pair of cleats, a
mouthguard, and a fielding glove. In addition, knee pads, shin guards, and
sliders are recommended as appropriate. Although the league provides
helmets, we do recommend that each player have her own batting helmet.
What kind of cleats should a player wear?
Any cleated shoe is fine as long as the cleats are
rubber, not metal or hard plastic.
Does a player need her own bat?
Experienced players usually end up getting their own
bats, but we do not recommend that for newer or younger players. Bats of
the quality used by the league are expensive, and a new player tends to
grow out of a particular bat size/weight rather quickly.
What size bat is best for a player?
Generally, lighter is better. Most of the inexpensive
bats sold locally are too heavy for our younger players. We recommend that
you come to a few practices and find out what other girls are using . . .
just be sure to compare only to players of similar age, size and skill
level.
I think my daughter’s bat is fine, so why does her
coach keep saying she needs a lighter bat?
In most cases this comes up when the coach believes
the player will hit better with a different size/weight bat. The coach is
usually right. A parent has the right to insist that his/her daughter use
the family’s own bat. But the parent should recognize that doing so may
hurt the girl’s playing ability.
What about batting gloves?
Whether to use batting gloves, and what style, is a
matter of personal preference. Some players particularly like them in cold
weather because they help keep the player’s hands warm.
Does a player need her own fielding glove?
Each player does need her own fielding glove. We
recommend that you check out Play-It-Again Sports. They sell use gloves,
which are cheaper and already partially broken in.
What size/type of fielding glove is best for a
player?
Generally, bigger is better, especially for newer
players. Most sporting goods stores will recommend a glove that is too
small, so be careful. We recommend that you come to a few practices and
find out what other girls are using . . . just be sure to compare only to
players of similar age, size and skill level. Try to get a glove that is
all leather with leather lacing, although synthetic materials are fine as
long as they are very flexible.
I think my daughter’s glove is fine, so why does
her coach keep saying she needs a bigger glove?
In most cases this comes up when the coach believes
the player will catch the ball better with a different size glove. The
coach is usually right. A parent has the right to insist that his/her
daughter use the family’s own glove. But the parent should recognize
that doing so may hurt the girl’s playing ability.
Does a player need her own batting helmet?
It is recommended, but not required.
Does a catcher need her own set of catcher’s gear?
No. The league provides catcher’s gear to each
team.
Is head lice a problem when girls share helmets?
We are fortunate not to have had that problem, at
least not in recent years. But there is always a possibility, so we
recommend against sharing helmets. Unfortunately, we are required to share
catcher’s helmets, so we recommend that all players thoroughly wash
their hair after any game in which they play catcher, unless they are the
only girl to use the catcher’s helmet.
What about shin guards and knee pads?
They are recommended, but not required.
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