In another installment of Catcher’s Corner from WPW’s resident catching expert, Noah, we’ll take a look at a few of the college guys and their gear choices, including NC State Catcher Brett Austin’s rarely seen white gear. For more CWS stuff, see our comprehensive guide to the CWS, here (Part 1) and here (Part II).
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See above for Brett Austin’s white and red Rawlings CP950X protector and Rawlings XRDLG shinguards. This set of gear is the opposite of what most Rawlings guys wear. Most guys tend to wear Rawlings gear with a white secondary instead of a white primary, such as Robert Beary of South Carolina. But this is an interesting change to say the least, I’ve never seen the white Rawlings gear. Austin also wears a Rawlings LWMXTI titanium mask, a mask that’s growing in popularity with lots of college catchers as titanium is becoming an ever more in-demand metal for making catchers masks. He has also switched the color of his pads from red earlier in the season to white, as you can see below.
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The picture you see at the top of the page was taken in early May and in that picture Austin is wearing a black Rawlings PROJP20M glove. However, during the CWS in June he is wearing a Rawlings Pro Preferred PROSCM41MO glove. Seen here, or here—unusual that a catcher would switch glove models in the middle of a season. Austin has also worn a red protector and helmet pads earlier this year.
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This Oregon State catcher is wearing a set of Nike Pro Gold Shinguards and a Nike Pro Gold Protector. The glove of choice for catchers with sponsorship with Nike or Easton, companies with mitts that are below par for college catchers, is the All Star CM3000SBT 33.5. One example of this is Mississipi State catcher Nick Ammirati who uses Easton gear. He also wears a Nike Titanium mask.
On to J.D. Boscan, above, with the Iowa Cubs, Chicago’s AAA affiliate. Boscan was a catcher in the Braves System once upon a time, and that’s probably why he wears Mizuno gear. Brian McCann, a big user and promoter of Mizuno gear, has always pushed the Mizuno gear with young teammates looking for a new sponsorship, such as Boscan—see also: Evan Gattis, Braeden Schlehuber, or Jose Yepez, or Matt Pagnozzi, all Braves catchers who wear Mizuno Pro G2 gear. Boscan wears his Mizuno Pro and a Mizuno Pro Gmp200 mitt. And instead of the stock Mizuno 380185 he wears a titanium Nike mask (good luck on EBay) in place of the steel stock mask.
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Brett Austin was using yadiers model heart of the hid pro mesh you can tell because of the stitching over the rawlings logo on the thumb .