I personally know 2 guys who now have titanium plates in their face due to being hit. One guy was hit with a Clincher F12 & the other with a Clincher F12G. It's very possible to inflict severe damage with a softer ball.
If I may be completely honest, you can almost predict who is susceptible:
- No experience
- No control
- Letting your pitching motion carry you into home plate
- Not getting into a proper defensive position
- Bad overall mechanics
These are the things that I see from the majority of rec players & even some tourney players. A lot of them are totally oblivious to the danger. The level of danger is particularly heightened in coed when you have an inexperienced girl pitching & an athletic twenty-something year old guy with no knowledge of softball etiquette, not a whole lot of experience playing & looking to show off. They have no idea of where they're hitting the ball most of the time! Usually, when I see a potentially dangerous situation, I will be proactive & tell the involved parties to be mindful. Yeah, I know, not my job......, but I would rather do this than have to write an injury report in the aftermath.
Some things are totally unavoidable in the modified & fast pitch game. A pitcher's momentum naturally takes them towards the plate. But slow pitch? There's no excuse........
