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Brittany Apgar often viewed social media as a scary place. But when she ran into a challenge related to her limb difference ahead of her Women's Pro Baseball League debut, Apgar was overwhelmed by how many strangers stepped up to the plate with ideas to help her live out her dream.
Apgar, 22, was drafted by the Los Angeles franchise in the newly-formed WPBL following a journey filled with resilience and grit. Apgar was born without her right hand, but doctors constructed a longer limb and wrist joint after 13 surgeries that "helps me hold the bat," she told USA TODAY Sports.
Apgar has played a lot of ball, from an all-boys Little League team in North Carolina to college softball for Greensboro. She experienced an injury during a spring training event in March. Apgar's nub split open during an at-bat due to the impact of an 80 mph pitch on her bat.
"I just see the blood dripping out and I was like, "Oh god, I can't tell anybody about this because I'm going to look like a liability,'" Apgar recalled to USA TODAY. "That's when I realized there's no way that I can play consistently 3-4 games a week if I split the nub in the first game."
She apprehensively turned to the internet to solicit advice on how to brace her right nub and avoid injury as the WPBL Opening Day on Aug. 1 nears. The response to Apgar's Instagram — where her bio reads, "personality 10/10, hands 1/2" — blew her away and ignited a "nationwide group project" titled #protectthenub.
"I was so scared of posting on social media because of how mean people can be, especially with disabled people. It's an easy running joke," she told USA TODAY. "So to be met with this level of just kindness from people is incredible and it's like healing a part of my heart, truly."
Apgar first learned about the Women's Pro Baseball League by way of someone's Instagram story, a full year before the league held tryouts. She applied for tryouts via email and didn't think anything of it. Apgar last played the sport at age 15, when she was "for lack of better terms ... pushed out of baseball." She made the switch to softball and played a season at Greensboro College in 2022, before ultimately calling it quits.
But she dusted off her baseball glove in April 2025 when she received a notification that would change the trajectory of her career. She had advanced to the next round and was eventually invited to tryouts.
"I was insanely blown away, especially when I found out that they opened up tryouts internationally. I was overwhelmed by the competition ... They had DI athletes there. They have people that play in the (Savannah) Bananas organization, play minor league professionally. I was freaking out," Apgar recalled. "I had three months to get in shape for a tryout that would determine the rest of my life."
During the next three months, Apgar followed a strict routine in preparation for tryouts: 5:30 a.m. runs every morning before a full workday that was separated by another run during her lunch break. Batting practice with her dad and a gym session followed.
"I did that every day for three months straight and trials came around, we showed up, we showed out and fast forward, we got drafted 55th out of 640 people," Apgar exclaimed. "It still hasn't sunk in that I got drafted and I'm going to be playing for Los Angeles. It's an insane, unreal feeling."
Apgar felt an odd sensation during one of her first at-bats during a Boston Red Sox training event with the WPBL.
"The first pitch ... just split my nub right at the tip of it entirely. I didn't feel it at first so I was trying to run it out to first. And by the time I'd gotten first base, I felt like this cold warm sensation and I was like, 'Oh no,'" she said. "I was just pretending that nothing happened ... I was using my batting glove to soak up the blood, got back in the dugout and just put a band-aid on it and then I was like, 'I'm never going to tell anybody about this.'
Apgar added, "I was so scared to admit that that was an issue for me ... I'm so embarrassed about this."
With the encouragement of her friends and family, Apgar courageously posted a video on her Instagram account. "80+ mph will spilt my nub open (rip) so i’m attempting to make something that will protect from impact! any tips tricks or knowledge would be so greatly appreciated," she captioned the video. She received hundreds of comments and recommendations that she's jotting down in a notebook. ("I'm old school," she joked.)
"I can't begin to explain how much kindness in the community and great ideas that I've gotten so far," added Apgar, who even received a DM and resources from league commissioner Justine Siegal. "It's insane how much community can come together if you just trust them. And asking for help is the scariest thing and the hardest thing that I've ever had to learn how to do... It's not vulnerability, it's not anything negative."
Suggestions from her 2,000-plus followers include moldable thumb pro guards and evo shields, in addition to materials that are great shock and vibration absorbers. An actual prosthetic is another long-term option. Apgar has been documenting her search for answers on her Instagram and is confident she'll find a solution that'll help her live out her dream on WPBL's Los Angeles, whose roster includes international ace Ayami Sato, viral Little League pitcher Mo’ne Davis and gold-medalist Ashton Lansdell.
"There's still so much kindness in this world and I'm just so glad that a small slice of it is being able to behighlighted here," Apgar said. "I love people's ideas and I love originality, this is just great."
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brittany Apgar's Women's Pro Baseball League dream gets social media support
Continue reading...
Apgar, 22, was drafted by the Los Angeles franchise in the newly-formed WPBL following a journey filled with resilience and grit. Apgar was born without her right hand, but doctors constructed a longer limb and wrist joint after 13 surgeries that "helps me hold the bat," she told USA TODAY Sports.
Apgar has played a lot of ball, from an all-boys Little League team in North Carolina to college softball for Greensboro. She experienced an injury during a spring training event in March. Apgar's nub split open during an at-bat due to the impact of an 80 mph pitch on her bat.
"I just see the blood dripping out and I was like, "Oh god, I can't tell anybody about this because I'm going to look like a liability,'" Apgar recalled to USA TODAY. "That's when I realized there's no way that I can play consistently 3-4 games a week if I split the nub in the first game."
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She apprehensively turned to the internet to solicit advice on how to brace her right nub and avoid injury as the WPBL Opening Day on Aug. 1 nears. The response to Apgar's Instagram — where her bio reads, "personality 10/10, hands 1/2" — blew her away and ignited a "nationwide group project" titled #protectthenub.
"I was so scared of posting on social media because of how mean people can be, especially with disabled people. It's an easy running joke," she told USA TODAY. "So to be met with this level of just kindness from people is incredible and it's like healing a part of my heart, truly."
'It still hasn't sunk in'
Apgar first learned about the Women's Pro Baseball League by way of someone's Instagram story, a full year before the league held tryouts. She applied for tryouts via email and didn't think anything of it. Apgar last played the sport at age 15, when she was "for lack of better terms ... pushed out of baseball." She made the switch to softball and played a season at Greensboro College in 2022, before ultimately calling it quits.
But she dusted off her baseball glove in April 2025 when she received a notification that would change the trajectory of her career. She had advanced to the next round and was eventually invited to tryouts.
"I was insanely blown away, especially when I found out that they opened up tryouts internationally. I was overwhelmed by the competition ... They had DI athletes there. They have people that play in the (Savannah) Bananas organization, play minor league professionally. I was freaking out," Apgar recalled. "I had three months to get in shape for a tryout that would determine the rest of my life."
During the next three months, Apgar followed a strict routine in preparation for tryouts: 5:30 a.m. runs every morning before a full workday that was separated by another run during her lunch break. Batting practice with her dad and a gym session followed.
"I did that every day for three months straight and trials came around, we showed up, we showed out and fast forward, we got drafted 55th out of 640 people," Apgar exclaimed. "It still hasn't sunk in that I got drafted and I'm going to be playing for Los Angeles. It's an insane, unreal feeling."
You must be registered for see images attach
Project Protect the Nub
Apgar felt an odd sensation during one of her first at-bats during a Boston Red Sox training event with the WPBL.
"The first pitch ... just split my nub right at the tip of it entirely. I didn't feel it at first so I was trying to run it out to first. And by the time I'd gotten first base, I felt like this cold warm sensation and I was like, 'Oh no,'" she said. "I was just pretending that nothing happened ... I was using my batting glove to soak up the blood, got back in the dugout and just put a band-aid on it and then I was like, 'I'm never going to tell anybody about this.'
Apgar added, "I was so scared to admit that that was an issue for me ... I'm so embarrassed about this."
With the encouragement of her friends and family, Apgar courageously posted a video on her Instagram account. "80+ mph will spilt my nub open (rip) so i’m attempting to make something that will protect from impact! any tips tricks or knowledge would be so greatly appreciated," she captioned the video. She received hundreds of comments and recommendations that she's jotting down in a notebook. ("I'm old school," she joked.)
"I can't begin to explain how much kindness in the community and great ideas that I've gotten so far," added Apgar, who even received a DM and resources from league commissioner Justine Siegal. "It's insane how much community can come together if you just trust them. And asking for help is the scariest thing and the hardest thing that I've ever had to learn how to do... It's not vulnerability, it's not anything negative."
Suggestions from her 2,000-plus followers include moldable thumb pro guards and evo shields, in addition to materials that are great shock and vibration absorbers. An actual prosthetic is another long-term option. Apgar has been documenting her search for answers on her Instagram and is confident she'll find a solution that'll help her live out her dream on WPBL's Los Angeles, whose roster includes international ace Ayami Sato, viral Little League pitcher Mo’ne Davis and gold-medalist Ashton Lansdell.
"There's still so much kindness in this world and I'm just so glad that a small slice of it is being able to behighlighted here," Apgar said. "I love people's ideas and I love originality, this is just great."
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brittany Apgar's Women's Pro Baseball League dream gets social media support
Continue reading...
