Protective mask in softball

It appears more and more softball pitchers are going with face masks in the circle these days.
Smart move if you saw what happened to Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman last week.
While a softball doesn't come back as fast as a baseball, the mound is only 43 feet away, as opposed to baseball being 60-feet-6.
 In other words, there is even less time to react to a ball hit right at you.
 If the mask -- which looks like an old school catchers mask -- is hindering pitchers with its comfort, I'm not seeing it.
 The three pitchers I've seen wearing the protective mask this year are a combined 21-5 with earned run averages under 2.00.