New NOCSAE Catchers Gear Certifications | 2020 Rule Changes

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Here’s what you need to know about the new NOSCAE Catcher’s Gear requirement for high school and college ball.

• For 2020 high school baseball requires a NOCSAE certified chest protector.
• The NCAA pushed their requirement out to 2021.
• The rules are NOT in place for youth (non-high school).
• Most chest protectors sold in 2018 and 2019 do NOT have the certification. (Some from Evo and All-Star do have them, so check).
• Evoshield has an undershirt that has a NOCSAE certified protective plate that will give your old gear longer life.

Do current chest prospectors NOT work?

In terms of protection for Commotio Cordis, the test says no. Before the standard, not a single gear item proved enough protection for the heart. Granted, the odds of the problem happening are between slim and none. It is most likely to occur in boys under the age of 14, so a high school and college requirements don’t hit the mark. But do chest protectors on the market give parents a sense of security that is not there?

We’ll let the attorneys and juries answer those questions.

Does that mean the new NOCSAE certification on the catcher’s chest protection is useless?

If NOCSAE certified chest protectors save a single life or youth heart attack, then it is irresponsible to claim the certification is useless—even considering this new standard churns thousands of old chest protectors out of the market and creates a windfall of profit to manufacturers.

Getting a chest protector to perform to a certain standard is reasonable.

NOCSAE Buying Recommendations

If you play catcher, then this season, 2020, will require the new chest gear. So, in short, you need to find an option. Amazon NOSCAE certified gear is always the right place to start. All-Star is still a favorite.

Evoshield Option

One wise option, especially if you love your old gear, is to add an undershirt with a NOCSAE certified plate insert made by Evoshield. It runs much less than a new set and carries with it the same certification required to play at the high school level. (You can find them at DSG).

Commotio Cordis

A baseball hitting someone’s chest can disrupt the rhythm of the heart and cause a sort of heart attack in a perfectly healthy individual. Although rare, such an event, called Commotio Cordis, is deadly. It is the number one cause of death in youth baseball (a relatively safe sport). Player’s under the age of 14 are more susceptible. This year (2018), one 8-year-old in California fell unconscious after a neighbor was trying to hit pop flies and ended up hitting a line drive into his chest.

Some are luckier. One boy in 2013 was hit by a pitch in the chest, fainted no the way to 1st base, and ended up living because two paramedics were watching the game and responded remarkably fast.

How to Respond to Commotio Cordis

In short, surviving Commotio Cordis is almost unheard of without a swift response. In many cases, even a rapid response will not save their life either. You would do well to speak with your local EMT and league directors to develop a protocol in place for a rapid response. Consider adding a defibrillator to your field house.  Although highly unlikely you’ll ever witness the event, it is still useful to know what to do.

For starters:

1. For several minutes afterward, pay very close attention to any player when they take a direct blow to the chest. The punch does not need to happen with a baseball. Another player or baseball bat would cause it too. Also, this applies to other sports. In lacrosse, it is more common. But soccer, cricket, football, or any number of flying objects into the chest could cause enough impact to disrupt the rhythm of the heart.
2. In the event, the player struck in the chest faints or is about to faint, call 911 immediately. A defibrillator on the scene, as fast as possible, might save a life.
3. Although CPR, from what we’ve read, is not adequate for a heart attack brought on by Commotio Cordis, it is likely the best bet. At the same time, wait for paramedics (assuming you don’t have a defibrillator handy). If you are interested in some other ideas without a defibrillator, you might like this article.

Commotio Cordis is deadly. Response time is vitally important.