NPF

Chicago Bandits Sign Lexie Elkins & Haylie Wagner

Chicago Bandits Sign Lexie Elkins & Haylie Wagner

Chicago Bandits Sign Lexie Elkins & Haylie Wagner

Jan 30, 2017 by Chez Sievers
Chicago Bandits Sign Lexie Elkins & Haylie Wagner
ROSEMONT – The Chicago Bandits have signed catcher/outfielder Lexie Elkins and left-handed pitcher Haylie Wagner to contracts for the 2017 season, general manager Toni Calmeyn announced Monday.
“We’re thrilled to bring aboard players of Lexie Elkins and Haylie Wagner’s caliber,” Calmeyn said. “They both have NPF experience under their belts and we look forward to seeing them contribute this season.”

Elkins, who was selected first overall in the 2016 NPF Draft by the Pennsylvania Rebellion out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, started 32 games last season in her rookie campaign. She accumulated a .216 clip at the plate with 15 RBI. Her four home runs as a rookie tied for the team lead. In Elkins' first career professional at-bat, she launched a pinch-hit two-run blast off Dallas' Jill Compton in a 15-1 win for the Rebellion.

While at Louisiana-Lafayette, Elkins placed her name in the record books in numerous offensive categories. As a junior, the Victoria, Texas native blasted 32 home runs, pacing the NCAA en route to being named a First Team All-American. She repeated the First Team honors the following season and capped off a stellar career as a Ragin’ Cajun, finishing 12th all-time in NCAA history with 75 career home runs. During Elkins’ senior season, she recorded a .509 batting average and earned her third consecutive Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Award.

“I’m excited to compete at the highest level with the best athletes in the game,” Elkins said. “I’m honored to be a part of a championship team in a great city.”

A two-time All-America selection at the University of Michigan, Wagner joins the Bandits looking to bolster the pitching staff as a southpaw. In her two-year professional career with Pennsylvania, Wagner was a staple in the Rebellion’s rotation, logging 107 innings in the circle while compiling a 6-10 mark and seven saves. She holds a career 4.32 ERA.

“To be given the opportunity to be a part of a championship organization with consistent defense, offense and speed is something I look forward to contributing to,” Wagner said. “I’ve always loved Chicago and I’m excited to spend the summer in this beautiful city.”

In addition to her national acknowledgments at Michigan, Wagner was named a three-time All-Big Ten Conference performer and captured the conference’s Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year Awards in 2012. During her senior season in 2015, Wagner delivered a historic season in the circle for the Wolverines. The Orange, California native compiled a 25-3 record in the circle with an impressive 1.75 ERA and a six-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Information provided courtesy of the Chicago Bandits