On the Beat With Kayla Wedl

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being "On the Beat" with Kayla Wedl, new assistant softball coach at the University of Illinois Chicago. I followed Wedl's career when she was a standout player at UIC, but this was my first time interviewing her.

Wedl had an outstanding career on the softball diamond at UIC. During her UIC career, she was named Horizon League Player of the Year twice (2019 and 2021). In 2021, she paced the Horizon League in seven offensive categories. She was also the conference's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Of course, Wedl is all over the UIC record book. She is second all-time in batting average (.378), homers (43), runs (202), total bases (505), and stolen bases (82). She is third all-time in RBIs (190) and triples (19). She was also President of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.

Last season, Wedl played professionally for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. The hometown athlete always had a big cheering section, including me.

It was an AU softball game when Wedl was approached about joining Head Coach Lynn Curylo's coaching staff. On November 1, 2021, UIC announced Wedl as a new assistant coach.

Coach Wedl talked about all of this and more. She discussed coaching her former teammates and coaching with her former coach. She discussed the transition and gave an early season scouting report on the Flames. She also discussed playing for AU and their unique scoring system.

The Flames are off to a rough start, going 2-8 in two west coast tournaments. They have one more tournament, the South Florida Tournament March 4 and 5, before starting Horizon League play. Their Horizon League schedule starts March 11 at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Flames play their first home game March 18 when they host Youngstown State.

I thank Coach Wedl for her time and wish her and the Flames luck this season. I will be at some UIC games this season to see the Flames in action up close.

Our interview can be found at On the Beat With Kayla Wedl. Also, go to UICFlames.com for more info on UIC sports.

Kayla Wedl From UIC to AU

Kayla Wedl was a softball pitcher in high school, but moved to the infield when she played at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to being a star player at UIC, she also earned a degree in Kinesiology and is working on a Master's degree in Marketing.

Ay UIC, she was the 2021 Horizon League Player of the Year. That was just one of many awards and accolades she earned in a stellar career at UIC.

In June, Athletes Unlimited held its first open tryouts and Kayla won a spot on the 2021 league roster. As I have previously documented several times, AU doesn't have set teams, but rather has weekly redrafts. That's why Kayla earned a league roster spot and not a specific team.

As is the case for all AU players, part of Kayla's earnings in the league go to the charity of her choosing. For Kayla, that is Players for Pits, an organization dedicated to saving pit bull type dogs in Chicago-area animal controls. The goal is to decrease the number of pit bull type dogs dying in shelters and to make the nation no kill.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kayla at the first set of games this season. As a local athlete, she was very busy with family and friends, but she was kind enough to give me a few moments.

Follow her at @kaylawedl on Instagram. Also, check AUProSports.com for more info on Kayla and the rest of the league.

Kayla Wedl and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2021.