Born Without a Right Hand, Britt Apgar Set to Make History in Women’s Pro Baseball League
Britt Apgar, a 22-year-old from North Carolina born without a right hand, is set to make history when she takes the field for the Los Angeles Queens in the inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL). A pitcher and outfielder drafted in the third round, Apgar will debut on August 1 against New York, becoming one of the most inspiring stories in professional sports this year.
A Childhood of Determination
Apgar was born with a small right forearm, half of a palm, and no fingers on her right hand. By the age of 4, she had undergone 12 surgeries, including bone grafts from her left leg and foot to strengthen her arm. But her parents, Tommie and Tom, instilled in her two principles that would define her journey.
“My mom said I am never allowed to use my hand as an excuse,” Apgar told AP News. “And my dad … if I wanted to do anything, he wanted me to put my heart into it like 100 percent.”
Her father studied the technique of former MLB pitcher Jim Abbott, who was also born without a right hand and famously pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees in 1993. Tom taught Britt how Abbott managed fielding — resting his glove on the nub and quickly switching it to his throwing hand.
A Rocky Road to Baseball
Apgar’s path was far from easy. She made the junior varsity baseball team as a freshman in high school, but the coach told her she couldn’t stay on the roster. “He pulled me to the side and said, ‘Hey listen, I think you’re a great player, but you’re just never going to be big and strong enough to play with my guys,’” Apgar recalled.
She switched to softball and played one full season at Greensboro College before quitting early in her sophomore year. After transferring to UNC-Greensboro, she dropped out entirely when her mother broke both legs in an accident. Apgar worked full-time, convinced her baseball dreams were over.
But baseball wasn’t done with her.
The WPBL Opportunity
In early 2024, Apgar saw a post about WPBL tryouts on social media. She submitted her name and forgot about it. In April 2025, an email arrived inviting her to try out at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., where more than 600 players competed for roster spots in the league, the first professional women’s baseball league in the U.S. in more than 70 years.
Apgar trained relentlessly. She woke at 6 a.m. to run, worked until 3 p.m., ran again with a weighted vest on her lunch break, and spent evenings taking batting practice from her father until sunset. She pushed through grueling gym sessions with a college wrestler who made her cry but refused to let her quit.
Her effort paid off. In November 2025, the Los Angeles Queens selected her in the third round, 15th overall, in the WPBL’s six-round draft.
“They had all invested time and effort and energy into me making it and we had all made it at that very moment,” Apgar said of the draft day celebration with friends and family. “That whole night was just us on top of the world celebrating together.”
Injury, Innovation, and the #ProtectTheNub Campaign
During a WPBL camp in March at the Boston Red Sox spring training facility, Apgar faced a left-handed pitcher and hit a grounder that busted her nub open. Bleeding through her white uniform, she used her glove, belt, and a sock to hide the blood while she finished the inning.
She posted on Instagram asking for a solution. The response was overwhelming. Supporters flooded her with suggestions for foam padding and prosthetics, giving rise to the hashtag #ProtectTheNub.
Jeff Gardner, a WPBL investor and former scientist, connected Apgar with Dr. Chrysta Irolla, director of prosthetics and orthotics at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. They are developing a custom prosthetic with a gel liner and hook extension designed to fit around the bat for a more secure attachment.
“It was the first time that I had held a bat and it felt like I was holding it with two hands,” Apgar said after trying a touch-sensing prosthetic. “I started tearing up. It was such a mind-blowing feeling.”
A Broader Significance
Apgar’s story resonates on multiple levels. She follows in the footsteps of Jim Abbott as an athlete with a limb difference competing at the professional level. She is also among many out LGBTQ+ players in the WPBL, a league that has drawn attention for its diversity and inclusivity.
The WPBL itself represents a landmark moment — the first professional women’s baseball league in the U.S. since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League dissolved in 1954. With four teams (Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and San Francisco) playing their inaugural season at a centralized hub in Springfield, Illinois, the league is building a new path for women in baseball.
What’s Next
Apgar’s first game is August 1 against New York. She will wear a newly developed custom prosthetic, backed by a community that rallied around her through the #ProtectTheNub campaign. Whether pitching from the mound or tracking down fly balls in center field, she carries with her the lessons her parents taught her — and the hopes of everyone who sees themselves in her journey.
As her close friend Courtney Jamison put it: “I have always and will probably forever describe her like this: She is sunshine.”