Updated NCAA Rules for Softball & Baseball Field Padding for Stadiums

College baseball and softball have rules that recently went into effect and pending rules and guidelines that require padding on fences and other hard surfaces that are within the playing field. If you need to update the design of your stadium to add the safety padding, Greatmats can help with several products containing soft foam protected with durable vinyl covers.

Even if the new college softball and baseball rules for fence padding don’t directly affect your facility, you may want to follow them to keep players safer. Perhaps you have a high school field or a city field that wants to follow the same NCAA guidelines. Greatmats can help.

College Baseball Fence Padding Rules

For college baseball teams that are part of the NCAA, the Baseball Rules Committee recently passed recommendations that all hard surfaces within the range of the playing field have padding. These could include outfield fences, backstops, and foul area fencing.

Basically, the NCAA recommends adding padding to any hard surface with which a player could collide during gameplay.

College Softball Fence Padding Rules

In NCAA softball, the Playing Rules Oversight Panel recently passed a requirement that any backstops, foul area fences, or outfield fences that consist of wood, concrete, or brick have padding added over the top by 2027.

Mount the pads no more than 1 foot off the ground. Extend them to the top of the fence or to at least 6 feet from the ground, whichever is lower.

Greatmats Can Help With Baseball Field Padding Needs

Whether you need to comply with the new softball and baseball wall padding rules for college athletics or you just want to make a safer place for local athletes to play, Greatmats has several outdoor fence and wall padding for stadium installation.

Your sports venue or athletic facility becomes safer with the protection from our baseball field padding. You can even add custom graphics to the safety pads for the outfield, the backstop, or near the dugout.

Some of the top products available from Greatmats include the following.

Outfield Wall Padding for Chain Link Fences

Greatmats has pads made for chain link fences that range in size from 2x4 feet to 8x4 feet. These pads are made in the United States, meaning you can trust the ingredients used in the construction to deliver long-lasting performance.

These pads use a backer board to create the stability required to go over the top of a chain link outfield fence at a baseball or softball field.

The 18-ounce vinyl covering over the pad is available in more than a dozen colors and allows customers to have us print a custom team logo or another graphic over the top. The covering is moisture and weather resistant.

The polyurethane foam is 3 inches thick, helping to protect players who crash into it.

Outfield Wall Padding for Solid Fences

Greatmats offers baseball and softball wall padding made to go over the top of solid concrete and wood walls as well. These pads would help a stadium comply with the new NCAA rules.

Some of our baseball padded wall mats use a Z-Clip system to secure the pads to the material in the stadium walls. We also offer baseball padded wall mats with grommets to secure them to wood or concrete walls.

Regardless of the method of connection, each polyurethane foam pad measures 3 inches in thickness, ensuring it can absorb the impact of a baseball or softball player running full speed into it.

These pads all measure 4 feet in width, while you can select heights ranging from 2 to 8 feet. More than a dozen different solid colors are available in the vinyl covering, and you can have us print custom graphics onto the vinyl if desired.

The 18-ounce vinyl covers stand up to rough treatment and all kinds of weather that you may encounter at the baseball or softball field. These products are made in the United States, ensuring high-quality designs and construction.

Pole Padding

If you have exposed support posts near the playing field where athletes could crash while chasing a fly ball, you can cover the poles in padding.

Greatmats offers padding that wraps around posts, either circular or square in shape, with varying sizes based on the diameter of the post.

You can choose among multiple colors of vinyl. The vinyl protects the 3-inch foam padding on the interior. These pads are suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

These pads are made in the United States, ensuring high quality in the ingredients and manufacturing process.

Trust Greatmats for Your Stadium Safety Padding Needs

When you need high-quality baseball field padding for your stadium, reach out to the Greatmats customer service team. Our softball and baseball wall padding experts are ready to listen to your concerns and provide a solution that fits your playing field’s design and your budget.