Best youth softball gloves: sized to the ball, built to close

Which glove for which kid

• 6 to 9, 8U or first-year 10U: Sure Catch Softball 11 in. The heel cutout is the reason: Rawlings cuts the heel so a small hand can fold the glove around the bigger ball. Rawlings lists it for T-Ball, 6U, 8U and 10U.
• 9 to 12, second-year 10U or 12U: Sure Catch Softball 12.5 in. Same Velcro back and cutout, a pocket built for the 12 in ball she will catch from Majors on.
• 10 to 12, plays a lot, done with Velcro: Wilson A500 Siren 12 in. The A500 leather in a fastpitch pattern; it needs a real break-in, which is the trade for a glove that lasts.
• Slim hand at 10U or 12U: Easton Ghost Flex fastpitch 11 in. Easton calls it a narrow fit; pigskin shell, Lock Down strap, and a 10 break-in on the maker's scale.

The ball decides the pocket

BaseballMonkey's fastpitch glove guide puts the design difference plainly: fastpitch gloves “will feature a deeper and shorter pocket than a baseball glove,” which “helps minimize drops” and gives the player “a better catching surface.” Its age table runs 9–11 in for ages 5–8 and 10–12 in for ages 9–14. That is why the two Sure Catch gloves here split at 11 and 12.5 inches, and why a baseball glove of the same length is the wrong shape. The softball glove size chart has the full table by age and position.

Can she close it?

The failure mode with softball gloves is worse than with baseball gloves, because the pocket has to be big enough for a 12 in ball and the hand inside it is a 9-year-old's. Three things on the spec sheet predict whether she can close it: the maker's break-in rating (Rawlings prints “Player Break-In 10” on both Sure Catch gloves and Easton prints a 10 on the Ghost Flex, meaning ready to use), a heel cutout or flex notch (the Sure Catch heel cutout; Easton's Ghost Flex name is the feature), and a strap closure rather than a laced wrist (Velcro on the Sure Catch, Lock Down strap on the Easton) so the glove cinches to a small wrist. The A500 Siren has none of those aids; it is on the list because at 11 or 12 she may not need them, and the glove will outlast the Velcro ones. The break-in guide applies to softball gloves without change.

How these were ranked

The site's glove rubric: size fit for the age (30%), ease of close for small hands (25%), leather and build (15%), break-in effort (15%), value (15%). Specs come from rawlings.com and easton.com; Wilson blocks automated reading of its pages, so the A500 Siren's specs come from the Headbanger Sports listing and are thinner. The Sure Catch 11 in wins on ease of close and value; the A500 Siren wins on leather and loses on break-in. We have not caught with any of these. See how we rank.

Before you buy

• Size to the ball first, then the hand. 11 in ball (8U, 10U): 10.5–11.5 in glove. 12 in ball (12U): 11.5–12.5 in. Rawlings' own softball table on its R9 page puts youth fastpitch infield at 10.5–11 in and outfield at 11–11.5 in.
• Check the throwing hand. A right-handed thrower wears the glove on the left hand; retailers list it as “right hand throw”. The most common return reason.
• Look for the break-in number. Rawlings and Easton print a 0–100 scale; a 10 means game-ready. A 50+ glove needs weeks of work a 7-year-old will not do.
• Softball gloves can be worn for baseball, not the reverse. A baseball glove's shallower pocket drops the 12 in ball. If she plays both, buy the softball glove.
• Catcher's mitts are different again. See the catcher's mitts page; fastpitch mitts run 31.5–33.5 in for youth.