Baseball and softball fields may seem harmless because you rarely hear of accidents happening in these areas. However, what most people may not know is that these areas are very prone to accidents. The scarce news on these unfortunate things happening in a softball or baseball field do not happen by chance but because safety measures are in place, such as back stop fences.
Back stops are an essential in ensuring the safety of both the players and the spectators. Since the balls in these sports tend to fly far and high, back stops aim to ensure that there are safe areas to stay at.
All back stops have a curve structure at the top which ensures that balls remain contained within the space. Aside from ensuring protection, it is also helpful in avoiding being nuisance for the nearby residential areas since we all know the baseballs can fly just anywhere.
There are 4 different dimensions of backstops. To ensure the best kind of protection and safety, it is best to install all 4 in the field.
- Backstop Fencing
Of all the back stop fences, this is the tallest at 4.88 meters high which makes it the most visible from the rest. It keeps the high-flying balls from leaving the field.
- Protective Fence for Spectators
The dimensions are 2.44 m by 50 mm, it safeguards the audience from any possible accident that the ball may cause. It is normally made of chain link fences to ensure that the fans get to see still and enjoy the match.
- Protective Fencing for the Player Bench
This has the same dimensions as the protective fence for spectators, however this one is placed in front of the dugout and the player bench.
- Outfield Fence
This one is normally found in the rear part with dimensions of 2.4 m by 50 mm, with a ground clearance of 25.4 mm.
