Last updated on April 3, 2023
The Rawlings Storm Youth Series glove is a beginner’s glove for young softball players. The glove comes in varying sizes, and retails for a fairly cheap price. Depending on size, handedness, and color, the glove’s price can be significantly under the $50 mark. Sizes of the Rawlings Storm Youth vary from a 10” to a 12.5”. Make your size-decision based on the position of the player as well as hand-size. This glove comes game-ready, and will not require much break-in time at all. It comes in a grey/purple colorway, as well as a grey/pink colorway. It can be considered a budget-glove, but it is definitely not a bad glove, regardless. The Storm is meant for youth players, preferably under the age of 12 years old.
The youth version of the Rawlings Storm comes with cushioned finger back linings for extra comfort. Also, the glove features a cushioned palm area to soften catch-impact for the player. The Youth Storm comes with a velcro hand-adjuster for different sized wrists. It is immediately apparent just how soft this glove is, as the leather is somewhat plushy-feeling. The Rawlings Storm Youth also comes with a basket web to ensure catches, and the all-leather pocket will break in so no balls pop out of the basket. The pocket is deep, and the finger holes are small, making catches even easier to be made. The mesh back combined with neo-flex technology makes for a rather lightweight model.
Advantages
The Rawlings Storm Youth can be found online in a variety of sizes for relatively cheap. This makes ordering a glove much easier because there isn’t as much risk in making such a low-commitment purchase. The leather is nice and soft, and will last a decent amount of time. The Youth Storm is ready to go as soon as it arrives at your doorstep, as only a 10% player break-in is needed, (according to Amazon). The other 90% break-in is already done for the buyer. This glove is also very customizable, as the buyer can choose from all different sizes and handednesses. You can choose between the two different available colorways, grey/pink and grey/purple. The Rawlings Youth Storm has a whole lot to offer for possible buyers, and definitely will not break the bank. For the most part, Amazon reviewers are very pleased with this glove. 78% gave the Youth Storm a 5-star rating, while only one customer gave it a bad review.
Disadvantages
Since this glove goes for so cheap, it is not going to be regarded as a high-quality glove by any means. There are definitely better-made fastpitch gloves for players at the youth level. The leather starts out really soft, which means it is only going to get softer. The leather can last you a fair amount of time if you take care of it, (see our glove-care articles) but it isn’t meant to last much more than a season or two. Some reviewers on Amazon have had concerns with the colorways. One specific reviewer ordered a purple/grey model and was shipped a pink/grey one instead. Another reviewer was a little bit more picky, suggesting that the color of the glove was not purple, but instead, magenta. (Oh no!) Other than those minor flaws, this glove absolutely serves its purpose.
Final Verdict
The Rawlings Youth Storm Series is a budget-glove for sure. You can find this piece on the market in for a price that is cheap even for a youth glove. Even though it may be cheap in price, it is definitely not cheap in structure. This is a comfortable and efficient glove for youth fastpitch players. The leather is good; not great, not bad, but good. The pocket is deep and soft, and the colors are pleasing to the eye. There isn’t really any break-in time needed either. A similar glove to the Storm is the Diva Louisville Slugger. The Diva is soft, lightweight, and goes for even cheaper than the Storm. It also comes in a similar grey/purple colorway. Rawlings did a good job with this glove, and I recommend taking a look at it if you are in the market for a youth player’s glove.
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