Fractured jaws, broken cheekbones, black eyes, chipped teeth and even death are results of baseballs and softballs that are thrown or hit into the facial area.

In 2007, State Representative Mike Carroll attempted to pass legislation that would have banned aluminum bats in Pennsylvania. Studies revealed that when a ball hits a metal bat, a trampoline effect powers it forward at a much greater force than that from a wood bat, thus making it more dangerous and more likely to cause serious injury.According to Bleacher Report, a ball hit off a metal bat can travel at speeds of over 90 miles per hour toward a baseball or softball player who has just a glove to stop it in its track. After a national clamor about the increase in serious baseball and softball injuries, bat manufacturers have added composite material and reduced the sweet spot on the bat barrel. Leaders in sports safety welcomed the modifications. Frederick Mueller, former chairman of the USA Baseball Safety Advisory Committee, said that although head injuries from line drives off metal bats were widespread, they were often "catastrophic."Several years ago, New York Mets first baseman, John Olerud wore a batting helmet while he played first base. Currently, New York Mets pitcher Alex Torres wears a pad around the top of his cap to protect his head from a batted ball. On many high school softball teams, pitchers and some position players wear protective face guards while playing the field."Metal bats replaced wood bats because of a cost factor," says Lehighton baseball coach Brian Polaha. "I'm all for improving safety in the game, but there will always be risks. Besides, a metal bat will get you more hits than a wood bat will so kids have to feel some success in a sport that is difficult to be consistently very good at."Jim Thorpe baseball coach Derek Reis says that the metal bats used by his players today are not as much of a danger as they were years ago."Now we have BBCOR bats and the ball does not come off with as much force as with the aluminum bat," he says. BBCOR (Batted Ball Coefficient Restititution) measures the energy lost upon contact with bat and the ball. The National Federation of State High School Associations allows a maximum of .50 coefficient, which is a slightly higher impact force than one from a wood bat."I would like to see a return to wood bats in high school because that's what they use at the pro levels," says Reis. "Not only are they safer, but they give a more accurate account of the skills of the hitters."Lehighton softball coach, Greg Poremba believes infielders, especially the corner positions should wear face guards for protection."Bat construction, limited reaction time, proximity to the batter, and field conditions are safety concerns in softball games. Even well maintained fields can cause dangerous bad hops. Game strategy and the increased strength of the players also raise the risk of injury. Ultimately, we should do what we can to increase player safety,"Northwestern softball coach Josh Zimmerman agrees that corner players are more at risk and would be in favor of requiring face guards for these positions."You can move up your third baseman expecting a bunt and she's only 30 feet away from the batter. If there's a line drive, there's little reaction time."Coaches in the line of fireThe young athletes who play between the lines are not the only ones at risk. In 2007, Mike Coolbaugh, a third base coach for a Colorado Rockies' minor league team was killed when he was hit by a line drive. Since that tragedy, all professional base coaches must wear helmets within the action of the game. Locally, American Legion teams also mandate helmets for first and third base coaches.The NFSHSA does not require baseball or softball coaches to wear helmets. In a recent softball game between Pottsville and Tamaqua, a Pottsville batter hooked a line drive that came within inches of striking the third base coach in the head. After a junior varsity baseball coach in Washington DC sustained a fractured skull when hit by a thrown ball during a rundown, the state of Maryland passed a rule requiring all youth and school level base coaches to wear helmets."I don't think wearing helmets should be required," says Polaha. "I guess I'm old school. I saw that the Pleasant Valley coaches were wearing them and that's fine, but I still think I can get out of the way of a line drive."Reis, who agrees with Polahaha, says that it should be at a coach's discretion for wearing a helmet.Poremba and Zimmerman also do not see a need for requiring helmets for coaches."For me to change my opinion," Poremba says, "I would have to see some kind of statistic reflecting that this is a significant safety issue for coaches so for right now I think it should be a personal choice."Heart stopping realityCommotio cordis is a medical term that describes the stoppage of a heart beat due to a blunt force to the chest. According to Kane Guthrie, a critical care nurse and author of "Life in the Fast Lane," this occurs when a baseball or a softball strikes the chest exactly at the moment when the heart is at rest between beats, causing cardiac arrest. Though extremely rare, commotio cordis has a 76 percent fatality rate with most occurrences to healthy baseball and softball players between the ages of 10 and 18. Players can wear padded undershirts, yet there is no evidence this can reduce the risk."I'm all for wearing a chest protector as long as it's not restrictive and it can be proven to be effective," says Polaha.Reis adds, "Maybe they could come up with something like Kevlar, a material that protects, but still allows the player his full range of motion."It is highly recommended by Guthrie that defibrillators with trained personnel be present at all levels of baseball and softball games. She claims it could be the difference between life and death, especially if it takes some time for an emergency medical response team to arrive at the field.According to the consensus of opinion, there will always be inherent risks to anyone who plays baseball or softball."Parents have to decide whether the risks outweigh the rewards," says Zimmerman. "At some point the line has to be drawn with how much we can do to add safety to the game. We can't bubble wrap the kids."Manufacturers of sports equipment, rules officials, and school personnel will be continually challenged to prioritize safety without compromising the agility and ability of the athletes who play the games.**********MIGHTY MARIAN ... The Colts baseball team is rolling behind first-year head coach Tony Radocha. Marian hasn't lost since April 6 (its second game of the season) and owns a record of 14-1 (11-0 in the Schuylkill League).During Marian's 13-game winning streak, the Colts have outscored their opponents by a staggering 145-30 margin and have reached at least 10 runs in 10 of those wins.**********STRENGTH IN SOFTBALL ... Six Times News area softball teams (Marian, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern, Palmerton, Pleasant Valley and Tamaqua) are above the .500 mark and have already clinched District 11 playoff berths. A seventh, Lehighton, can still reach the postseason by winning its final two games.The combined record of the 10 TN area schools is 90-78, or 12 games above .500. Last season, the teams finished the year 100-112, or 12 games below .500.**********THE LONG BALL ... A total of 39 homers have been hit by 27 different Times News area players this season.Of those players, nine have hit more than one.Marian's Dan Keer is the only area baseball player to go deep more than once, hitting homers in two games this season.Palmerton's Janel Tracy is the only TN player to hit more than one in a single game, hitting a pair in a win against Palisades. Tracy, Northwestern's Sunny Greenberg and Pleasant Valley's Alyssa Kotzmann each have hit three homers this season, the most in the area.Others with two homers this season include Northern Lehigh's Kate Hoffman and Paige Hemingway, Northwestern's Kaitlyn Bowers, Pleasant Valley's Cassie Hill and Weatherly's Jess Maiello.**********NO REST ... While many teams have had to endure busy schedules this season due to numerous postponements early on, few clubs had a stretch like the Tamaqua baseball sqaud.The Blue Raiders recently played eight games in nine days, including a stretch of six games in as many days. Tamaqua not only went 7-1 during that span but its pitching staff was especially on top of its game. The Raiders allowed just six runs and posted four shutouts. They also had a string of 26 scoreless innings.**********COMPETING FOR A DISTRICT 11 TITLE ... Pleasant Valley's tennis tandem of Jon White and Erik Ammermann advanced to the District 11 AAA doubles championship match against the top-seeded Parkland duo of Peter Harrison and Nick Kshatri. The title match was scheduled for today at 2 p.m. at Lehigh University.**********SCHUYLKILL RELAY WINNERS ... The Marian and Tamaqua boys track teams tied for first place among Class AA squads at Friday's Schuylkill League Relays. The Blue Raider girls, meanwhile, also gained a title.Marian's tandem of Brenna Karnish and Kaylee Ceci combined for a pair of firsts, winning both the shot put and discus. Tamaqua also won two events, as Morgan Boyle and Paige Demetriades captured the pole vault and Alexis Baddick and Shanna Brinkworth took the long jump.Jim Thorpe had three firsts (two boys, one girls) at the annual meet. Autumn Cope and Brooke Cope teamed up for the javelin title. Dylan Bucior, Johnathan Condly and Jake Saxon were three-fourths of both winning relay teams (3200 and Distance medley). Ben Saxon had one of the legs in the 3200 while Rayan Green completed the quartet in the distance medley.