Megan Wiggins Is Like A Fine Wine On The Softball Field

The last game Megan Wiggins played as a Georgia Bulldog was on May 29, 2011, when the Bulldogs came up short to the Baylor Bears in the Athens Super Regional. It was the end of a storied college career, one that included the program’s first two Women’s College World Series appearances the previous two years.

Wiggins concluded her time in Athens with a .370 career batting average, 275 hits, 46 home runs and became the first SEC player ever with over 200 runs scored and driven in. She was far from done on the softball diamond, however, and 11 years later, she's still doing her thing in between the white lines.

Wiggins is currently in the midst of her 12th year of professional softball, now competing for Athletes Unlimited throughout the summer. Previously with National Pro Fastpitch, Wiggins was a seven-time All-NPF selection and the 2013 NPF Player of the Year. During Athletes Unlimited's abbreviated AUX season that just concluded, Wiggins posted a .372 batting average with 16 hits, three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Overall, according to Wiggins, not much has changed throughout her 12 years in the pros. She still has the same hunger to win and displays the same level of enthusiasm on the field. The only big change she can point to is her desire to teach the game to those following in her footsteps.

“I want to be able to use my platform and my experience to help provide more opportunity to younger athletes in high school, travel ball and college,” said Wiggins. “I want to help educate and inspire those around me to play this sport for as long as you want and show them that you do not have to stop playing after college or in your twenties. (I want to) show them that you can be successful at the highest level and make a living like I have.”

In addition to playing for Athletes Unlimited, Wiggins is taking on a new venture this summer. In January, she was announced as the owner of The Peaches, a new team in the Florida Gulf Coast League, a summer softball organization for collegiate athletes from around the country. In taking on this position, Wiggins hopes to continue to teach younger players what she has learned during her time on the diamond.

“I hope to create more opportunities for young women athletes to compete and get better at softball,” said Wiggins. “I want to be able to use my experience and knowledge of the game, and specifically the level they are competing at now, to help them grow as players and people.”

For Wiggins, part of the joy of working with younger athletes is the transformation that occurs within them. That transformation, in Wiggins’ eyes, is similar to her work with antiques, which is her other passion.

Wiggins’ love for antiques began when she was a kid, traveling with her dad and watching him sell items at his booth and learning the craft. Eventually, she started selling antiques as well, and today, she has her own booth she shares with her mom in Monroe, Ga. In her line of work, she often meets softball fans who also share her love for antiques, and she cherishes moments when the two worlds collide. It all comes back to seeing something special, identifying its potential and then working to bring out its promise.

“It is so much like one man’s trash is another man’s treasure in a sense,” said Wiggins. "Being able to take something that raw or beaten up or disassembled, and building it back again to show how valuable it can be or how functional it can be, is so fun to me, and I think it’s the same when I work with different athletes.”

When Wiggins finally does hang up her cleats, her impact on softball will undoubtedly be felt.

“I hope my impact on the game and those involved far surpasses the impact the game has had on me,” Wiggins said. “This game has given me so much in my life.”

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