The National Pro Fastpitch League (NPF) takes place from when players report for practice in mid-May and goes through the Championship Series at the end of August. When looking at the season as a whole, it’s roughly three months of actual games, and it sure goes by fast. So what do the players of the NPF do the other eight and a half to nine months out of the year? The “Where are They Now?” Column covered by Fastpitch News will focus on several NPF Players a month, providing fans with updates and insights on what their favorite Pro Athletes are up to in the lengthy and quiet off-season months. Up Next: Haylie Wagner, Pitcher for the Pennsylvania Rebellion.
Haylie Wagner pitched the Michigan Wolverines to two NCAA Women’s College World Series appearances in her four-year campaign in Blue (Photo by: Alonzo Adams)
Haylie Wagner recently completed her second season in the NPF with the Pennsylvania Rebellion. Wagner signed with the Rebellion as a free agent in 2015 after completing her impressive collegiate career at the University of Michigan. During her college career, Wagner was named a two-time NFCA All-American, was B1G Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and appeared in two Women’s College World Series where she was named to the All-Tournament team in her second showing.
During the 2016-17 off-season months, Wagner gives pitching and hitting instruction in Tulsa, OK, at Perfect Practice. Perfect Practice is a baseball/softball facility and Wagner serves as a full-time instructor. See Below:
FPN: Where are you spending your off-season months?
HW: I’m spending them in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma which is right outside of Tulsa.
FPN: What is your employment commitment in the off-season?
HW: This off-season I moved to Tulsa to start working out of a baseball/softball facility called Perfect Practice.
FPN: Give some background on Perfect Practice. How did this opportunity come about?
HW: I found out of about Perfect Practice about a year ago. I was making my road trip back home from Michigan and stopped in Oklahoma to visit my cousin, Ryan (he plays Professionally for the Fargo-Moorehead Redhawks). I did a camp out of the facility and really enjoyed it. During the 2016 NPF season Ryan convinced me to move to OK, do lessons and camps and I’ve been here since October.
Wagner has pitched for the Pennsylvania Rebellion in the NPF for the past two summer seasons (Photo by: Dina Kwit, Chicago Bandits)
FPN: What type of instruction do you give?
HW: I, of course, do pitching as well as hitting! I also take the time to talk about the mental game and what it takes to get to the next level.
FPN: What is the most rewarding part about being a softball instructor?
HW: For me, the most rewarding part is not only me seeing improvement within 30 or 60 minutes but when my players see it as well. It’s such a great feeling when they realize they can do this and make improvements. The big smile on their face says it all!
FPN: When you were a freshman at Michigan, did you ever think back then that you would be doing what are you doing now?
HW: Absolutely not. As a freshman, I thought I would get my degree in Kinesiology Movement Science and become a physical therapist and it would be easy. That didn’t go as planned and I changed my major and will eventually go to Massage Therapy school after I’m done playing. I love what I’m doing now and wouldn’t change it for the world. Sometimes I still can’t believe I get to give lessons and play at such a high level.
FPN: Who has made the biggest impact on you as a player and instructor?
HW: I could write an entire book about this but I would have to say the entire Michigan coaching staff, Carol Hutchins (Hutch), Jennifer Brundage, Bonnie Tholl and Nikki Nemitz. They each have a different role in my career and life and have helped shape me into the athlete I am today. Without these four I wouldn’t be able to handle playing Professionally. As they are all amazing coaches they also pushed me, physically and mentally, further than I ever knew was possible. They are the sole reason I made it out of Michigan alive and am a different person today than I was my freshman year.
Wagner and Wolverines head coach Carol Hutchins embracing after their NCAA Super Regional win in 2015 (Photo Curtesy of Michigan Athletics)
FPN: How do you stay in pitching shape in the off-season months?
HW: Once season is over I take a month or so off and get some rest. I hang out with family and friends and my dog, Jake! Once that is done I start to workout, lifting, and conditioning. Once resting is over I will start up with light pitching. I work on my mechanics, leg drive and spins and make sure everything is put back together. Then, eventually, I’ll get into my pitches and work on movement and placement. When the season is right around the corner I will pitch to “batters” with counts and put myself in different game situations. I really like to challenge myself and have competitions within myself. Doing so also helps with my mental game and tough game situations.
FPN: What do you do when a catcher isn’t available and you need to throw?
HW: When I was at home in California I would pitch in my batting cage in my backyard every day. Now that I am in Oklahoma I have my cousin, Ryan, catch me (he’s a catcher) and when he can’t I have a bucket of balls and a net with the strike zone. All you need is a bucket of balls and a net to get a good workout in.
Wagner pictured with her Rebellion catcher Kristyn Sandberg, is looking forward to competing in the 2017 upcoming NPF season (Photo by: Dina Kwit, Chicago Bandits)
FPN: What are you most looking forward to when thinking about the 2017 NPF season?
HW: I’m looking forward to playing in a game again and competing! Being able to step back on the field and in the circle is something I miss every day, as well as seeing everyone in the league and my teammates that I haven’t seen all year. I’m also looking forward to seeing what talented rookies we get in the league and watch the league grow!
FPN: Anything else you would like to add?
HW: I’m so excited for another opportunity to play in the NPF but I am also excited for my cousin to play Professionally again. He’s a catcher for an Independent team in Fargo, North Dakota and is going into his second season. Keep an eye out for him; I can’t wait to see what he does!
