The excitement of watching a ball soar high into the sky, sending the crowd into a frenzy, is a thrilling part of a baseball game. Summer just wouldn’t be the same without baseball games to fill the long, warm days.
However, it’s important to note that “softball” is not synonymous with a soft ball. Rather, it’s a variant of baseball with a few key differences. One such difference is the method of pitching: while baseball players throw overhand, softball players pitch underhand.
There are other significant distinctions between the two sports, but the focus of this article is not to explore those differences. Instead, we will be presenting the top 5 best gloves for the softball infield position. So, before you become overwhelmed with options and risk making the wrong choice, let’s dive into how you can find the perfect glove for your needs.
Infielder Gloves and Other Position Gloves Differences
Each piece of equipment for a softball player is tailored to their specific position, and infielder gloves are no exception. Generally, gloves for infielders are designed for a quicker break-in, are smaller in size, have shallow finger stalls, and a wide, but not necessarily deep, pocket.
Softball infield gloves are crafted for better accuracy and ease of maneuvering, allowing infielders to swiftly secure the ball in the glove’s pocket. They are generally lighter than outfield gloves, but not as light as pitcher’s gloves. In addition, the webbing of infield gloves typically features post-web, I-Web, and H-Web patterns, which may not be as common on gloves designed for other positions.
List of 5 Best Gloves for Softball Infield
Now that we both know the major differences between infield gloves and also the major requirements we can pursue to tuck in our hand with the most precise gloves, it is high time to check out my best picks that beat the requirements right away.
To be noted: None of these gloves are chosen from my personal opinions. Following the reviews and experiences from all the starters to the professionals, I have gathered them on this single piece of content. So I am just being blunt and representing you with the 5 best gloves for softball infield players.
1. WILSON A2000 11.75″ Infield Baseball Glove
Features
- Comes with both-hand compatibility resulting in access to all grip-hand players.
- Sizes from 11.75 to 12.75 inches, ensure players above 13 age can use them freely
- Having WILSON’S stock pro leather, intended to last longer and never lose its shape.
- H-Web Infielder Webbings with double lacing on the base of the webs.
- Flat Finger Binding with dual welting allows quicker break-in and increases longevity
The list starts with the WILSON A2000 SS. As of now, I researched and found that WILSON never disappointed their targets, nor their audiences. A2000 SS is one of those products. It comes with the finest WILSON’s Pro Stock leather along with double welting pocket sides.
A2000 SS ensures better longevity following the proper maintenance procedures. It doesn’t even lose its shape due to having premium quality leather and the welting. Apart from that, the features mentioned below will filter your choice more.
What’s Best in It?
Every single product comes with a specialty, A2000 SS has its durability in this case. The ultimate Black super skin with Double Welting along with the Flat Finger Binding diminishes the burden for a player. The break-in and durability of the WILSON A2000 SS are unbeatable.
- Starting from Kids to Professionals uses the A2000 SS
- Having SuperSkin makes it a lot beneficial in many ways
- The outlook stands out from the crowd and the features involved will definitely make you the MVP
- The more you use the A2000 SS, it won’t lose its stiffness (to maintain its durability). But not everyone prefers Stiff gloves
2. Rawlings women Infield/Outfield Gloves
Features
- Utility players often prefer quicker break-in pits and Liberty Advance is their first choice
- Goes along with all aged softball enthusiasts, From High School to Pros
- Full Grain Premium Leather guarantees comfortability and boost its durability
- Maximizes the Fittings with the Pull Strap Closures
- Comes with a 70% Break-In from the factory, 30% is all you have to do and that ain’t tough.
While we talk about Softball or Baseball Sports, Rawlings is not there, which makes the entire conversation incomplete. Therefore, I didn’t want to keep this list of best softball gloves for infielders incomplete without including the Rawlings Liberaty Advanced Pitt Gloves.
Liberty Advance comes with an entire pitch field players’ gloves collection. I meant that the entire team of players can use Rawlings Gloves only as they come with the whole crew (Infield, outfield, pitcher, batter, etc.) gloves.
What’s Best In It?
When a softball glove comes by completing 70% break-in from the factory, the other 30% is what a user gets comfortable with it. I have seen Rawlings actually does the 100% break-in, it’s just the players who need to get used to it, and that’s all. Besides, the Full Grain and Adjustable Pull Straps make the glove more proficiency usage.
- Attainable for both Males and Females. So don’t hesitate to utilize the best out of it.
- Intended to last longer if maintained properly. Once Broke-in, you are good to go on fields.
- Many Professionals use the Liberty Advance of Rawlings. They are still using them in the professional fields.
- Turns out to get floppy on the webbing section after long-term usage. The Inner Liner starts to pop out if used drastically and not maintained precisely.
3. Mizuno MVP Prime Fastpitch Softball Gloves
Features
- Being the female-oriented infield gloves, Mizuno never disappointed their female enthusiasts.
- Pro-End Laces ensure better fitting with a solid grip on the hand following the same way professional gloves involve the laces.
- Having precise balancing of softness and oil distribution makes the gloves easier to maneuver
- Provides firm control with the best comfort due to its Bio Soft Leather. Cravings of Every Player.
- Available for Both Hand Orientations, therefore go for the best-fit requirements of your hand.
Have you been looking for certain infield gloves that come in completely crisp mode, all you need to do is just tuck in your hand and you are good to go. If so, Mizuno MVP Prime made it for you.
Apart from that, the aesthetic and premium outlook with the color combo of white and black laces really grabs every single piece of attention. On the other hand, if you are on to softball or baseball, I guess you pretty much know the V-Cut Tech that Mizuno MVP Prime includes in it. Hence, Mizuno MVP Prime literally boosts the player’s confidence right away.
What’s Best In It?
As we have seen so far that infield gloves mostly involve stiffness and give a rigid feeling, therefore there are certain users who like to avoid that. In that case, Mizuno MVP Prime raises its hand here. It might come stiff in the box but takes no time to get rid of it as well. In contrast, it’s a female-oriented glove and that is a negative for me.
- The comfort and ease of maneuvering for the Bio-Soft Leather and the perfect oil balance of oil and softness make it much more worth it.
- Short Break-In compared to the other gloves and that makes the user get more friendly with it.
- Multi-Size variants are available.
- The pit hole is not adjustable, and also it's pretty small.
- Might be a short break-in compared to the others, but sometimes the MIZUNO MVP Primes takes months to break in.
4. WILSON A2000 Infield Fastpitch Glove
Features
- Comes in from 11.75 to 12.75 inches in size, as a result, most of the softball enthusiasts can use them.
- Comfort and Convenience are its primary objectives, thus including the Drawstring closure
- Pro Stock SuperSkin Leather ensures more durability and long-lasting capability
Every Baseball and Softball enthusiast knows the Legendary A2000 Series. Talking about comfort, adjustable features, design patterns, and leather quality, these are always been the top list that every sports player asks for.
What makes a glove precise for Infield? The leather quality, durability, quick break-in adaptations, lightweight, padding, and what else? Well, go through the WILSON A2000, I promise you will see they’ve included a lot more considering every aspect.
What’s Best In It?
If you’re really reading this paragraph, that means you are literally asking questions about a legendary product. Ha ha! It is completely alright. Well, the WILSON A2000 series mostly pointed to the infielders, outfielders, and pitchers. In that case, whatever requires their gloves to deliver their best, WILSON made sure that they included them.
- Customizable fit with adjustable Strap
- Faster Break-in within a week, after that just grab, tuck in, tighten the strap, and go for it
- Fluffed padding prevents the hand from high-end drag injuries
- The thumb gets into the hard plastic or metal area if not used in the precise size
- Initially, it's stiffer than the other gloves. But once breaks in precisely, it plays its best role
5. Franklin Sports Baseball and Softball Glove
Features
- Comes with an entire variant bucket of sizes. Starting from newly enrolled kids to professionals can use this glove
- Adjustable Straps are present, therefore, you can tighten them or loosen them according to your needs. Contour Fit for Thumb Adjustment also present
- Involves Thick Synthetic Premium Quality Leather that boosts the durability and the ease of maneuvering the glove.
Wonder what if I could manage an infield glove for your training sessions within an affordable budget? Looks like, I have found one already. So let’s introduce you to the Franklin Sports Baseball Gloves which are also compatible with softball games as well.
Coming from a tight budget section doesn’t mean Franklin failed to deliver the ultimates. In fact, today’s many professionals are using these pit gloves in their professional matches. As it holds every single spec that a glove should contain, I was bound to introduce it to you.
What’s Best In It?
Before I jot down what’s the top-notch feature of this glove, you can already see that it’s their pricing. That is so much more affordable, but they didn’t compromise on their glove quality. Starting from the fingers to the palm grip, everything is top-notch.
- Comes in an Accessible budget, and can be purchased by anyone.
- Suitable for indoor, outdoor, as well as professional pitch plays.
- Kids can also use to play softball with such gloves.
- Guess what, considering the price the brand has to do cross-cutting somewhere from their product. And for this glove, it's the Longevity.
How to Ensure the Right Infielder Gloves for Softball
Having a lot of choices in the market while purchasing any product for us, makes it much more inflexible to decide. The same thing applies to picking out the precise gear for our sport plays.
Hence, I have prepared some requisites that will make it a much easier choice for you.
Sizing
The softball infielder gloves designs are intended to be more compact due to their quick grab, release, and transfer time. Having shorter baselines the infielder gloves mostly comes around 10 to 11.5 inches in size.
On the other hand, sizes can go above 11.5 inches as well for players who are above the age of 13. Therefore, pursuing the best fitting and size ensures better comfort and utilizes the best out of those gloves.
Materials
Greater quality gloves always use leather for manufacturing. Yet, sometimes bad quality leather makes the gloves stiff, and hard to use with ease. Moreover, such type of gear eventually ends up hard to break in and lessens their durability.
Not every time, quality comes with premiums. In the case of infield softball gloves, you will get steerhide or full-grain leathers when you aim for big markets. And believe me, those are hard to break in, And talking about longevity, they don’t even meet the guessing expectations. Yet, such decisions vary from player to player, actually.
Pocket’s Pit
As we both know that there are some major differences between Softball and Baseball, hence the size of the ball is one of them. Softball sports include slightly larger size balls compared to baseball. And therefore, the pocket of the glove is designed accordingly.
On the other hand, to have the quick grab, leave, and transfer mechanism, softball infield gloves are intended to be more glib. Thus, gloves’ Pitts play a great role for softball players. As a consequence, you must choose them appropriately.
Glove’s Webbings
Softball ain’t a single-player game. Therefore there are a lot of players on the field with different perspectives. Stretching that point, certain players prefers closed webbing gloves whereas some appreciate playing with open-end webbings.
Let me clarify why their preferences are different. Open webbings allow easy transmission of balls from one hand to the other. On the other hand, closed webbings allow a better grip on the ball while catching them. I am leaving the rest to you to decide on your preferred ones.
Position and Padding
Apart from all the other privileges and features of infield gloves, again comes a certain feature that differs from player to player, which is their playing position. Infidels usually involve shorty or smaller gloves. They are lightweight and easy to maneuver. Thus, you must not attempt different positions of gloves on the infield.
Apart from that, if we talk about why do we have to wear gloves anyway? The right answer would be safety and comfort. And if the padding quality of the hand gears is not premium enough, there is no meaning in wearing them at all. Thus, having at least a decent padding on the palm, back and finger areas of the gloves is a must.
Wrapping Up the Context
Heck no! We just came to an end.
Yet, I hope you had gone through the entire content on the best gloves for softball infield players, and found your choice already. In that case, I’ve provided a link to all the products from where you can directly purchase them.
Apart from that, if you have any queries regarding the best softball glove for infielders or any other softball gear, make sure you put it down in the comment section. I will get back to you within minutes. And if needed I will write an entire blog post on that. Thank You for Sticking with the Soft Ball Point.