Haylie Wagner is a left-handed pitcher for Athletes Unlimited, a new, players-focused softball league recently launched in Chicago, Illinois. During the first week of play, she was one of four captains who selected her own team for competition. We spoke to her about the process, AU’s model of play, and what it means for the future of the sport.   

What went into your decision to join Athletes Unlimited?

My decision was actually 10 months in the making. I got a call and decided to take a day trip along with Victoria Hayward, and we went to New York to have this league pitch to us this wonderful, amazing, unique idea. From the second I sat down in that office in New York City, I was intrigued and excited and so interested to see where this was going to go. It didn’t take more than a month, less than a month, to have a contract issued and be on board to get this thing going and start this new adventure. I wanted to play softball. I wanted to be a part of history, and 10 months later, we’re here. It’s been amazing.

The league format puts the power in the players’ hands. You are the ones choosing your fate, choosing who is your team and even coaching the team. Do you think that has made you more engaged and invested so far?

Definitely. I think being able to have a little bit more control over everything and not just being a captain, but also just all the other athletes, we really have to pay attention to who’s doing what and who works well together. We have to focus on how points are being made because, who knows, next week we could be captain and we’re in charge of drafting our team. You really have to pay attention to individual aspects, which makes everything more competitive. We’re able to go out there and focus on those points for ourselves, while also saying, hey, this person’s doing really well too, I better pay attention. That adds extra competitiveness, so it’s really good.

You were a captain for week 1. What was it like drafting your team?

For our second scrimmage, I was actually the captain as well for the gold team, so I kind of had a little bit of background and I got to experience it once. But being able to go into the first real draft, and knowing it’s for a series of three games, you had to think a little bit different about it. I knew my plan going into it, but I knew after the first pick it was probably not going to work out perfectly. And that’s exactly what happened. I had a list of my order of catchers that I wanted, and three out of the top four were taken, so I had to adjust real quickly and go from there. The strategizing part is really fun. You have to have a depth chart of four or five different options that you would be comfortable with and have an order for it and go from there based on what you need. For me, as a pitcher, I knew I wanted a defense that could also hit and produce some runs. I know that if I’m pitching, I can count on them to get them out and then get them in the dugout to provide some offense.

Dreamt about more of these today???? #gooooogold #goldengirls @nniiiss_ @hannahFlippen https://t.co/PKI48iIBcg

— Haylie Wagner (@haywags17) August 31, 2020

You choose Amanda Chidester as your #1 pick. How much did playing together at Michigan have a factor in that selection?

I don’t think playing with her had a lot to do with it. I love Amanda Chidester. She was a senior when I was a freshman in college, so I’ve played many, many years with her. She can do a lot of things, and I knew right then and there that I wanted her on my team. I also did not want to pitch to her. That had a big factor in it as well. And for each draft, there are four facilitators, for each team each week, and they rotate through depending on the color of team. I had Lauren Lappin who is also my coach from last year, so that has been really helpful just knowing that I can trust her, I know how she coaches, I know she knows the lineup. These are things that I’ve never really had to fully think about before. Being able to talk with her and talk it through and have different opinions and advice was really, really helpful.

With the unique scoring system, there’s an emphasis on individual points. With that in mind, do you have any individual goals that you’re focused on this season?

I don’t think they’re individual goals based off of the money side or the bonus points. I think, as a pitcher, my goal is always to go out there to attack the hitters and get outs, and I’m not going to change that. I want my defense to work and I want to produce some offense. Really individually, I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing all these years and compete, and there’s not one bad athlete in this league, so it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be exciting and competitive, and it’s going to be mentally and physically exhaustive, but individually I’m just going to keep being me.

The season is six weeks with a lot of back-to-back games, what are your expectations for nonstop action? 

I’m excited to have a three game series. It kind of takes us back to the college days of a three game series in a weekend and just back to back to back. In a way, we’re all kind of used to it. It might have been a few years for multiple people or some may have just graduated, but it’s going to be tiring. It’s going to be exhausting. The off day that we have every Tuesday is going to be very important for everybody to get their recovery in. But it’s going to be a fun, exciting five weeks. For a lot of us, it’s been over a year since we’ve played in a game, so we’re really excited about that and to be able to put softball on the map and be on national TV, on ESPNU, is really amazing.

Athletes Unlimited has redesigned the way you play pro sports. They just added volleyball and there are other sports in the work. What do you think this type of a league will do for women’s sports at the pro level and specifically for softball?

For women’s sports in general, I just think it’s going to be really intriguing to a lot of people and a lot of fans, especially once fans can come to stadiums and come to arenas and come to facilities and actually watch and participate. I know that they have some really awesome things planned for fans in person, so just really keeping fans engaged and keeping them excited and intrigued. The point system is another way for them to really focus in and kind of keep track along the way with everything. For softball in general, I think it’s history in the making. We are the new era of softball. It’s a new, exciting time, and we’re able to still play in person during a pandemic. I think that’s just really exciting to be able to play and be on national TV during this crazy time and hopefully bring some joy to some households.

The year's final major tennis tournament begins on Saturday when the sport's highest-ranked athletes descend on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to compete in the 2024 WTA Finals.

Featuring the eight best singles players and eight best doubles teams, Slam winners and Olympic medalists alike will compete for the Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova trophies before the winter break.

Also up for grabs is a piece of the record $15.25 million prize pool, larger than any Grand Slam purse and a nearly 70% increase over the 2023 pot. Should the champions go undefeated through the tournament, the singles winner will bank $5.155 million, while the top doubles duo will take home $1.125 million.

Eight days of elite tennis action

In both the WTA Finals singles and doubles categories, competitors are split into two groups of four.

Each singles player or doubles pair will play all others in their group for a total of three matches across the first six days. The top two in each group will then compete in the November 8th semifinals, with both finals set for November 9th.

In the singles contest, the Purple Group includes No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, No. 5 Elena Rybakina, and No. 7 Qinwen Zheng, while the Orange Group lists No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 8 Barbora Krejčíková.

In both competitions, 25% of the top eight athletes represent the USA. Along with Gauff and Pegula on the singles court, the doubles tournament includes No. 5 US duo Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk as well as Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Taylor Townsend in the Nos. 6 and 8 pairs, respectively.

Will Sabalenka play Świątek at the WTA Finals?

A showdown between Sabalenka and 2023 WTA Finals champion Świątek could be the event's blockbuster match. The top-ranked players have yet to square off in a major tournament in 2024 — a year rife with highs and lows for both athletes.

Sabalenka started the WTA season by winning her second Australian Open, then later struggled through a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. She capped the Grand Slam season in style, though, winning her first US Open in September.

As for five-time Grand Slam victor Świątek, 2024 brought the Polish phenom her fourth French Open title. A rockier second half to the season — including a third round and quarterfinal ousting from Wimbledon and the US Open, and a fall from the No. 1 ranking for the first time since November 2023 — motivated Świątek to seek a new coach.

How to watch the 2024 WTA Finals tennis tournament

The 2024 WTA Finals kicks off on Saturday, when US Open winner Sabalenka plays 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng at 11 AM ET.

Later, 2023 US Open champ Gauff will take on 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula at 8:45 AM ET on Sunday.

All 2024 WTA Finals matches will be broadcast live on the Tennis Channel.

In today’s episode of the Late Sub, host Claire Watkins wraps up the USWNT's October window with a look at the team’s 3-0 win over Argentina, from how rotation became the US’s strength to center back Naomi Girma's unparalleled ability to do it all.

Then, Watkins refocuses on the NWSL, where six of the league's 14 clubs will complete their 2024 seasons this weekend. First, however, the league will determine the eight playoff teams, pulling from a postseason race that could come down to Sunday's final regular-season match.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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The NWSL's final weekend is all drama, complete with heated clashes that will determine the last two postseason berths and nearly all seeding for the 2024 NWSL playoffs.

While Shield-winners Orlando are secure at the top, the Pride will be desperate for a Saturday win over Seattle as they try and replace their two straight losses with some postseason momentum.

At the same time, Washington, Gotham, and Kansas City will all be jockeying for the No. 2 seed this weekend. While the Spirit and Current must contend with playoff-bound North Carolina and Chicago, respectively, Gotham's Friday matchup against a surging Utah looks surprisingly competitive.

Three NWSL teams battle over two playoff tickets

Seeding race aside, the final matchday's main event is an NWSL version of musical chairs in which three clubs — Portland, Bay FC, and Racing Louisville — will duke it out for the league's final two playoff spots.

The seventh-place Thorns and eighth-place Bay FC currently sit three points ahead of ninth-place Louisville, allowing both to clinch berths with either a win or a draw. If Portland and Bay walk with at least one point each, the postseason lineup will be settled before Sunday.

Should one or both teams lose, it'll all come down to Sunday's regular-season finale, where a win over San Diego plus a tie-breaking goal differential could send Louisville through to the quarterfinals.

The high-stakes elimination games

With the most on the line, Portland will shoot to extend their season — and goalscoring legend Christine Sinclair's career — against an already-eliminated Angel City side with nothing to lose on Friday. Perhaps most concerning is the fact that the up-and-down Thorns have lost three of their last four matches, while ACFC has only dropped one in the same stretch.

Bay FC arguably received a season finale gift in a Saturday visit to the Houston Dash, who finish the year at the bottom of the NWSL table. That said, one of the Dash's five wins this season came in a 3-2 Bay defeat at the end of March. Plus, with the worst goal differential of the three teams still in postseason contention, Bay will want to clinch with a Saturday result rather than gamble on potential tiebreakers.

As mentioned, a Portland or Bay loss sets up Sunday's final tilt as the weekend's biggest match, where Louisville will need to do better than their scoreless April draw with San Diego to usurp one of the West Coast squads's playoff spots.

How to watch this weekend's NWSL playoff elimination matches

Portland and ACFC will kick off the NWSL's make-or-break action on Friday at 10 PM ET on Prime before Houston hosts Bay on Saturday at 9:30 PM ET, airing on ION.

Should chaos rule the weekend, Louisville's match against San Diego will cap both the 2024 NWSL regular season and the playoff picture on Sunday at 5:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN.

Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!

On today's special Halloween episode, our hosts show up to set dressed as the fastest of friends: race care drivers.

O'Hara and Leslie then dive into the USWNT's October friendlies, discussing the young talent on display as well as the way the team holds consistent focus even when falling behind on the score sheet.

"I think [that's] a testament to Emma's influence already on this team," O'Hara says, praising head coach Emma Hayes's ability to keep her players from getting rattled. "I get the sense that she has already [said], 'Shit's gonna happen. We stick to the game plan, we stick to what we're good at, and the goals will come.'"

"Soccer's about riding the wave, its ebbs and flows," O'Hara adds. "Sometimes you gotta weather the storm, but if you are confident and all on the same game plan, you're gonna be able to execute."

Then, the duo pivot to discuss all things WNBA. Leslie looks into the reasons why the WNBPA is opting out of their CBA from both the players' and league's perspective, before digging into a recent flood of head coach exits that have left seven of the league's 12 current teams without a leader.

Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.

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