John's Journal: Waabi Wagner, Hard-Of-Hearing Infielder, Leads Northome/Kelliher To State Softball

This story was written by Jared Rubado, sports editor of the Bemidji Pioneer. It's an inspirational tale of an inspirational athlete, told so well. I have known Jared since he was a student-athlete at Brainerd High School and I think highly of him as a person and a journalist.

Waabi Wagner swings a big stick.

In 22 games for the Northome/Kelliher softball team, Wagner recorded a .586 batting average in 85 plate appearances. The senior struck out just four times in 70 at-bats and posted a .958 fielding percentage at third base.

Her presence on the diamond proved invaluable for Northome/Kelliher, a program that battled its way through the Section 5A elimination bracket to clinch its first state berth in program history last Thursday.

“I couldn’t feel anything,” Wagner said, recalling her emotions that came with the final out. “I was just so proud of everyone on this team. I’m so proud of everyone’s determination and dedication. This team was always ready and prepared for anything. There are a lot of good things that come out of being from here and going to state. It just makes you feel proud.”

Wagner grew up in a baseball-centric family, playing with her older siblings before making history on the Mustangs’ softball field.

She’s done it all while wearing hearing aids.

Wagner is a hard-of-hearing student-athlete who’s been given no choice but to adjust in order to play the sport she loves.

“I’ve had to adapt by reading lips,” Wagner said. “Having helmets on or when everybody is cheering, it’s a challenge for me. … When I’m on the bases it can get hard. Normally, I’m pretty good at knowing what to do. But sometimes, the people I can hear are screaming different things from what I think I should do. You just have to trust your gut.”

Northome/Kelliher’s Pennie Rude has coached Wagner from the time she started playing softball in sixth grade six years ago. Any hesitations Rude might’ve had about Wagner’s hearing were quickly put to rest.

“She’s never let her being hard of hearing be any type of hindrance for her,” Rude said. “We just work out a certain type of communication between each other, and she knows exactly what she needs to do on the field. She’s a really good role model on the field. She may be quiet, but she leads by example. She makes sure there isn’t one person on this team that doesn’t feel included and important.”

Wagner won’t make excuses for herself despite having every reason to do so. Her coaches and teammates have also developed some alternative hand signals that allow her to communicate without her ears when needed.

“She never brings it up,” senior Kylee Binkley said. “The first time I found out she was (hard of hearing) I had no idea. She doesn’t talk about it. If she can’t hear something, she asks for us to speak up. She doesn’t let it bring her down.”

In the heart of a balanced batting lineup, Wagner continuously shows her fighting spirit.

“She’s extremely competitive, but you don’t really notice it in her verbal demeanor,” Rude said. “You notice it when she plays the game. When she hits, she rarely strikes out. She will do absolutely anything to get on base. In one game against Fertile-Beltrami, she hit 14 foul balls in a row. She will do anything to get on base for this team.”

Wagner’s relentlessness has resonated beyond the high school level. Her impressive prep resume earned her a spot in Minnesota Morris’ softball program, an opportunity she didn’t know she’d be afforded when she first started playing.

“I’ve heard great things about playing there,” Wagner said. “It’s not too big, it’s not too small. … My dad and I filled out a recruitment form. A couple of months later we got an email back and started talking together about playing (for Morris). We took a visit and they came and watched some of my games. It just felt right.”

Wagner feels called on to pay her fortunes forward. She will study education in college with the intention of becoming a deaf and hard-of-hearing teacher after she graduates.

“I want to work with kids, younger kids,” Wagner said. “Probably fifth grade or younger, but I’ll be fine working with whatever age. I just want to do that (job). What I’ve learned about my audiograms and how my hearing is in both ears, the teachers have taught me so many things about myself. They’ve been so important to me, and I want to do that for other people.”

At her core, Wagner is a calming figure for those around her. It shows in the classroom and on the softball field.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the girls who don’t get to play, the girls on the bench or the (substitute players), she’s a leader for them,” Rude said. “If someone makes a mistake. She’s the first one to say, ‘Hey, that’s alright. I make mistakes all the time.’ That’s our mentality as a team. Just go play the game and have fun.”

On Wednesday, the Mustangs will step on the Caswell Park fields in Mankato for the first time ever. They will have their hands full with top-seeded New Ulm Cathedral.

Regardless of how Northome/Kelliher fares at state, Wagner is prepared to soak up the moment one last time with the teammates and coaches who embraced her for who she is.

“It’s so amazing to know that everyone comes together like that for me,” Wagner said. “To know they’re so understanding in that way, it’s hard to explain. Yeah, I might be hard of hearing, but they make sure to make me more part of this team. I’m just so thankful for them.”

Bemidji Pioneer website: https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/prep/wabbi-wagner-a-hard-of-heari…