A catcher's mask comprises a two-piece plastic shell composed of a rigid front shell and a rigid rear shell. The front and rear shells are connected by a strap harness attached to the front shell and have padding assemblies. The front shell has ventilation holes including ear holes positioned over the wearer's ears and a full jaw protector integrally formed as part of front shell. A wire faceguard is removably attached to the front shell extending over the ear holes. A top upper member of the faceguard comprises a center bar part, a left side bar part bent upwardly with respect to the center bar part to form a left eyebrow area, and a right side bar part bent upwardly with respect to the center bar part to form a right eyebrow area. The rear shell has a concave padding assembly comprised of a concave TPU shock absorbing layer, and a nested concave comfort layer.