Softball
Favorite athletes: Jordy Bahl & Shohei Ohtani
Favorite teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Kutztown Bears
Favorite memory competing in sports. My favorite memory was beating North Penn 1-0 and beating Souderton 6-4 in 11 innings my sophomore year. And getting my 500 and 700 career strikeouts (JV & varsity combined)
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that happened competing in sports: I came to school ball games wearing the wrong uniform sometimes. And it was funny seeing people swing and miss at my changeups.
Music on playlist: Fashion, Judas, Bump Heads, Houdini, Telescope, Crucified, Eyes on Me, Dice and Roll, The Way I Am, and Bloody Brazil
Future plans: My plan after Kutztown is to go to another four-year college for grad school and look into the work force to be an art therapist
Words to live by: “If no one else will do it, do it yourself” (Quote myself)
One goal before turning 30: A goal before I hit 30 is to get a motorcycle or Toyota Supra MK4
One thing people don’t know about me: I can sound like Mort from Madagascar
By Mary Jane Souder
Abbey Wagner – 5-3 and 118 on a ‘good day’ – doesn’t stand out in a crowd. As a matter of fact, the recent Quakertown graduate might very well go unnoticed.
Until, that is, Wagner – behind a mask – steps into the circle on the softball diamond where the diminutive pitcher’s size is quickly forgotten.
“She brings the heat,” Quakertown coach Rich Scott said.
In June, Wagner completed a memorable senior season for a Panther squad that reached new heights, winning a share of the SOL Liberty Division, advancing to the District 1 6A title game before seeing its historic season end with a PIAA 6A state quarterfinal loss to Central Dauphin.
In recognition of her standout senior season, Wagner earned a spot on the 2024 PAHSSBCA All-State 6A first team.
“She’s a player,” Scott said. “She has the willpower, she has the determination, so if anybody can accomplish anything, she can.”
Wagner has ignored the critics who told her she was too small.
“Oh, a lot of people told me that,” she said. “I just laugh because I know I can prove myself, and I know I can get stronger.”
Toward that end and with a collegiate career ahead of her at Kutztown University, Wagner is spending more time in the gym these days now that her high school season is behind her.
“With school ball, I can’t work out consistently,” she said. “When you’re the only pitcher, you need to be 100 percent every game.
“If I go work out the day before a game, I will probably be sore, and I don’t want to do too much to overdo it, but in (summer) travel ball, I have other pitchers as my backups.”
Wagner was a workhorse in the circle for the Panthers, posting a 23-3 record and pitching 152.2 innings. She threw a total of 2,058 pitches, struck out 172 and posted an earned run average of 2.155.
She also was a force at the plate, batting .364 with an on-base percentage of .442. Especially impressive numbers considering Wagner didn’t hit as a junior. Scott changed that when he returned to the helm this past year.
“I told her at the beginning of the season – we’ll see what happens, and she started hitting the ball,” Scott said. “She was the fourth or fifth best hitter on the team – how do I take her out of the lineup?”
Wagner’s two-run double was the difference in Quakertown’s 3-1 district semifinal win over Downingtown East and pitcher Rachael Schumann, a Seton Hall commit. The Panthers’ ace needed just 66 pitches in the complete game two-hitter in the circle.
“The kid has a big heart,” Scott said after that game. “She’s not very tall, she’s not big at all, but she has a big heart.
“She’s a very, very determined kid. I would pick her as my number one pitcher any day of the week because she’s very, very talented, and she gives 100 percent effort every time. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Scott knew Wagner long before he was took over the program this year.
“I knew of her back when she played on her dad’s PA Panther team, but she wasn’t anywhere near what she was her junior and senior years,” said the Panthers’ coach, admitting that Wagner surprised him. “I did not believe she could pitch 26 games and win 23 of those 26 games.
“If you had told me that at the beginning of the season, I would have been thrilled to death. It’s truly amazing. She started every game, and I did that intentionally because I wanted to make sure she got the win because she deserved it.”
Wagner’s value to the Panthers, according to her coach, cannot be overstated.
“She was just huge for us,” Scott said. “There were many games where I thought for a second – if she gets hurt, we’re in trouble. I tried not to have too many of those thoughts.
“It was always positive. There were a couple of people who said, ‘You should rest her, not let her hit.’ I said, ‘Man, how do I not let her hit? She has the fourth highest batting average on the team.’”
Softball from the start
Wagner has been playing softball for as long as she can remember, following in the footsteps of older sister Maddie. Her mother also played softball.
“I liked it right away,” Wagner said. “My parents would always tell me how much fun I had playing when I was little.”
It wasn’t long before Wagner gave pitching a try. Once she started, she never stopped, elevating her game under the tutelage of several pitching coaches.
When she arrived at high school, Wagner bided her time for two years behind Sydney Andrews, also a first team all-state selection. She excelled at the junior varsity level, winning 31 games over a two-year span while piling up strikeouts. In her four-year high school career – JV and varsity combined, Wagner surpassed the 700-strikeout mark and lists beating Souderton and North Penn her sophomore year on JV as personal highlights.
Although she admits that was a difficult time in her life.
“Sophomore year – I don’t know how to describe it,” she said. “I felt like I pushed everyone away. I focused on myself a lot. It was a dark time. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.”
With the graduation of Andrews, Wagner stepped into the circle as a junior and picked up where Andrews left off, leading the Panthers to the SOL Liberty Division title during a perfect regular season.
“I had a lot to prove,” she said. “It was my first year pitching varsity. I didn’t have that varsity experience.
“I mentally prepared myself early on to deal with whatever I had to deal with, and I think it worked. People thought we would be so bad because (Sydney Andrews) left, but they had someone waiting in the back, and that was me.”
Wagner followed last year’s successful season with an even more successful season, adding hitting to her contributions to the team’s remarkable run.
“I really did enjoy myself,” she said. “We had some moments that were rocky, but I left it go in one ear and out the other. That’s just who I am, and I didn’t let it affect me because my team was depending on me.
“It was a really big responsibility, and I take pride in that because those girls are like family to me, so I wanted to do good for them “
Wagner brought an unflappable demeanor to the circle.
“I get that a lot,” she said. “On the mound, I like to stay calm, and I just like to show no emotion whatsoever because if a play happens, I have to shake it off and just move on to the next play because if I focus on that play too much, it’s going to affect me the rest of the game.”
Listening to teammate Ava Beal – the Panthers’ first team all-state shortstop - tell it, Wagner brought just the right mix to the team.
“I can’t even explain it,” the University of Albany-bound Q-town grad said. “She has so much passion for the game and just loves every single one of us.
“She’s always there for everyone and is hyping everyone up. She’s so amazing. She cares about everyone, and she’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.”
Wagner pointed to Scott’s coaching style as significant as well.
“He was really supportive and that really affected me and a lot of the girls,” she said. “A lot of the girls felt really at peace with him. They liked his motivation and coaching style. He was a good guy.”
On August 21, Wagner will begin the next chapter of her life at Kutztown University.
“It was always a dream,” she said of playing college softball. “It was always the plan in my head since I was little.
“They had the PSAC championships games at (Veteran’s Park), and we would always go up and watch, and I think that’s what inspired me.”
Kutztown University was always Wagner’s top pick. She also considered Moravian, Wilmington, Elizabethtown and Purchase College (NY).
“Kutztown was where I wanted to go since I was a freshman,” she said. “They had the major that was perfect for me, they had a good softball team, and I wasn’t too far from home. I think it’s perfect.”
Wagner will major in psychology with a minor in art with aspirations to become an art therapist. Art – with a preference for traditional art – also has been a passion for the recent Quakertown grade since she was a youngster.
“I like realism – some people find it hard, but I find it fun,” said Wagner. “In the end, you’re not going to play softball the rest of your life,” she said. “It’s not going to be your fulltime job.
“You need to focus on your major because that’s what’s going to get you through life. I had pretty good options.”
Wagner leaves behind quite a legacy at her alma mater.
“I told her at the banquet – she’s one of a kind,” Scott said. “I’ve been around for quite a while, and for a kid that size to do what she did is truly amazing.Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
