A pad device for protecting a hypothenar eminence region of a users hand during a swing of a ball bat includes a digital portion having an opening configured to receive at least one of a users fingers, and a hypothenar portion generally configured to coextend with the hypothenar eminence region of the users hand. The pad device may include a viscoelastic material or a rate-dependent damping material. In other embodiments, a sports glove includes a glove base and a moldable hypothenar layer coupled to the glove base and positioned to generally coextend with a hypothenar eminence region of a users hand. The moldable hypothenar layer may include an at least partially rigid moldable material configured to be molded into a form of at least one of the hypothenar eminence region of the users hand or an end portion of a ball bat. The moldable material may include moldable thermoplastic.
