Can A Softball Pitchers Use A White Glove? (Unexpected Answer)

There are so many rules considering softball equipment that it can be hard to occasionally stay on top of things. If you are careless with the rules, you can even buy a piece of equipment that you can’t use in a regulation game. Thus, it’s important to know the known and lesser-known rules, and one of them is the pitcher’s glove and the color it can be.

In this article, you will learn whether a softball pitcher can use a white glove, what colors they can use, and other helpful information about it. So, can a pitcher use a white glove`?

According to the NCAA, NSA, and Official Rules of Softball, a softball pitcher can use a white glove given that it or its lacing isn’t the ball’s color. Softballs used in regulation games are often yellow; thus, pitchers may use white gloves.

Depending on the seriousness of this rule and how well it will be monitored depends on the league you play. NCAA (National Collegiate Amateur Association) runs practically everything in Americal College Leagues. College league is the closest thing you get to the pro league, so by following their guidelines, you will be fine using what glove you choose.

I mentioned that softballs are often white, but not always. In slowpitch softball, the used ball can be white, which would mean that if you follow the rules made by the NCAA, NSA, or Official Rules of Softball, you couldn’t use a white glove as a pitcher or as any other player, given that the ball is white.

I pulled out the specific words used by these three rulebooks to see for yourself the regulations these organizations have set considering the glove rule.

• NCAA Rule for Softball Glove Color: ”Gloves/mitts may not be the color of the ball but may be any combinationof other colors”.
• NSA Rule for Softball Glove Color: ”Gloves optic yellow circles on the outside, giving the appearance of a ball, may not be worn by any player and will be considered illegal”.
• Official Rules of Softball Rule for Softball Glove Color: ”The pitcher’s glove may be any combination of colors, provided none of the colors (including the lacing) are the color of the ball. Gloves worn by any player otherthan the pitcher may be any combination of colors”.

Why Can’t a Pitcher Use a White Glove?

If the ball color is white, which would mean that a pitcher can’t use a white glove, it raises the question of why? Why can’t you use whatever color you desire in the sport you love?

The reason why a pitcher can’t use a white glove is if the used ball is white. If you were to use a white glove as a pitcher when a white ball is at use, it would confuse and hide the ball so that it would be hard to see it as clearly compared to a different colored ball and glove.

You see, it’s best if everything is clear for everyone for general fairness. It wouldn’t be fun for you as a batter to not see the ball clearly, which would reduce the time you have to see and swing the ball, making you perform worse.

What Color Gloves Can a Pitcher Wear?

As a general rule, pitchers can wear any colored gloves that aren’t the same color as the ball nor its lacing. So, if the softball used is yellow, the pitcher can use any color other than yellow. If the ball is white, a pitcher can use any other color than white.

What Type of Glove Does a Pitcher Use?

In addition to the color rules set for the pitcher’s glove, what other rules are there? What are pitcher’s gloves like?

Pitchers use fielder’s gloves made from leather and 11.5-13 inches in size, most often, 12 inches. Compared to other fielder gloves, a big difference in the pitcher’s glove is that the web is closed, so the batter won’t see the pitcher’s fingers and the throw she is about to make.

Other than the closed web and a specific preferred size range, they are just like any other fielder’s glove. Catchers, however, can use a glove of any size!

Can a Softball Pitcher Wear a First Baseman Mitt?

A popular glove question within the softball community often includes the first base mitt. I recently saw a discussion about whether pitchers can wear 1B mitts, so I felt the need to answer as there were many misconceptions.

According to softball rules, only the first baseman and catcher may use mitts in softball, whereas everyone can use gloves, including them. Therefore, a pitcher can’t wear a first baseman mitt as it is prohibited in the rules.

So what is the difference between a glove and a mitt anyways? Well, think about it this way. There are gloves and mitts used in winter, and the same principle holds in softball. A glove has a separate hole for each finger, whereas a mitt doesen’t have fingers separated.

To learn more about the first baseman glove and other positions in softball, check out my comprehensive article about it!