Britt Apgar, 22, will compete in the Women’s Professional Baseball League this summer after being selected by the Los Angeles Queens in the third round of the league’s draft in November. Born with a limb difference affecting her right hand, Apgar has developed adaptive techniques for batting, pitching and fielding throughout her athletic journey.
Apgar’s parents instilled in her from an early age that her condition should not serve as a barrier to achievement. Her father studied former major league pitcher Jim Abbott, who was also born without a right hand, and taught Apgar similar fielding techniques. When batting, Apgar rests the bat on her right arm nub while using her left hand to pull through the swing. When pitching, she positions her glove on her nub near her waist for quick transitions, and in the outfield she removes her glove before throwing.
After stepping away from baseball during college and a period of working full-time following her mother’s accident, Apgar saw a social media post about WPBL tryouts and applied on a whim. She received an invitation to try out at Nationals Park and underwent intensive training for several months, working with trainers and receiving constant support from family and friends. At the tryout camp in March, she faced an injury when her nub was struck while batting, prompting her to seek solutions through social media.
Apgar’s request for help led to connections with a WPBL investor and eventually with Chrysta Irolla, director of prosthetics and orthotics at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The hospital is developing custom prosthetics and orthotics designed to enhance her performance, including a gel-lined prosthetic with a hook extension for batting and custom foot orthotics with rigid plates. The Queens are scheduled to begin their inaugural season with a game against New York on August 1.
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