Press Release: WPBL Stars Brittany Apgar, Alyssa Zettlemoyer to Join Rosters for Hall of Fame Military Classic

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 24, 2026

--  Artifacts from Inaugural WPBL Games Slated for Cooperstown; Legends Game Saluting the Military May 23 at Doubleday Field -- (COOPERSTOWN, NY) – As the nation celebrates Women’s History Month, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum recognizes the contributions of women to our nation’s military with two roster additions to the Hall of Fame Military Classic. Brittany Apgar and Alyssa Zettlemoyer, who will play in the Women’s Pro Baseball League historic debut season this summer, will suit up for the Hall of Fame Military Classic: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice on May 23 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.   Apgar, who has overcome the physical challenge of playing baseball with one hand, has 34 family members that have served in the military, from World War I through today.   “It is truly an honor to be able to participate in the Hall of Fame Military Classic,” Apgar said. “My family history is filled with service to our country and the love of baseball, and to be able to celebrate both in Cooperstown will be the thrill of a lifetime.”   Zettlemoyer’s mother joined the Marine Corps shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and her father served in the Marines for 20 years as a drill instructor and in combat tours.   “Coming from a military family, the opportunity to play in this game is an honor,” Zettlemoyer said. “Being able to honor these heroes is a blessing.”   The WPBL will feature teams representing Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco for its inaugural season starting Aug. 1 and held at famed Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will have a presence at those games and is expected to accession artifacts from the inaugural season, including the first pitched ball from the first game played, lineup cards from the first two games representing each of the four teams and a printed Opening Day ticket among other ephemera.   The Hall of Fame Military Classic will feature Hall of Fame managers and coaches along with recently retired MLB players in a seven-inning legends game in honor of baseball’s longtime connection to the military.   The Hall of Fame Military Classic will feature Hall of Famers Wade Boggs, Rollie Fingers, Todd Helton, Fergie Jenkins, Tony La Russa, Scott Rolen and Joe Torre along with more than two dozen former big leaguers and include a pregame home run hitting contest.   Fueled by assistance from Major League Baseball, the Hall of Fame Military Classic rosters will feature Jeremy Affeldt, Nick Ahmed, Jonny Gomes, Danny Graves, Mitch Harris, Edwin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Jonathan Lucroy, Josh Reddick, Zach Reks, Chris Rowley, Todd Zeile and Brad Ziegler, with more players announced this spring. Also participating will be 1981 World Series champion Rick Monday, whose rescue of the American flag at Dodger Stadium in 1976 became a rallying point for the country during that bicentennial year. The flag Monday rescued will be on exhibit at the Hall of Fame from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.   The Louisville Slugger Warriors amputee baseball team will have four representatives on the roster as well as head coach Curtis Pride, who overcame hearing loss en route to an 11-year career in the big leagues. The Louisville Slugger Warriors are a competitive amputee baseball team that consists of U.S. Military Veterans, Active Duty personnel, Wounded Warriors and current and former amputee college baseball players. They have suffered either loss of limb, partial limb, digits, eye and serious limb deformities. Others have prostheses due to congenital, disease, or trauma-related reasons.   Tickets for the Hall of Fame Military Classic are on sale now online or at 1-888-325-0470 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.   Memorial Day Weekend in Cooperstown will also feature the Hall of Fame’s popular Night at the Ballpark program. Hall of Fame legends and former players will greet fans throughout Doubleday Field on Saturday, May 23, beginning at 6 p.m., with Hall of Famers participating alongside other former major league stars. While the Night at the Ballpark program is not an autograph session, fans should remember to bring their camera to capture their special memories.   Tickets for Night at the Ballpark are on sale now priced at $100 each and limited to 12 tickets per order. Click here to reserve tickets.   The Cooperstown Classic Clinic for children aged 7-12 will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 22, at Doubleday Field. Hall of Fame Military Classic participants will lead the Clinic, with registration information available here.   Also as part of the weekend, guests can golf with legends at historic Leatherstocking Golf Course on Otsego Lake. Participants will enjoy an unforgettable day of golf. Individuals, pairs or foursomes of all skill levels are welcome to join the Hall of Fame Memorial Day Weekend Golf Tournament. A Hall of Fame member or former major leaguer will join each foursome and serve as the team captain.   A fundraiser for the Museum, the scramble-format tournament highlights a full lineup of activities for participants during this unforgettable weekend. For more information on supporting the Hall of Fame through this exclusive golf outing, please call 607-547-0310.   The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has teamed up with Sports Travel and Tours to offer baseball fans a one-stop opportunity to purchase Military Classic Weekend travel packages. For more information or to plan a trip to Cooperstown, please call 1-888-310-HALL (4255). Membership participants receive a 5% discount on all their baseball travel packages.   For more information on Memorial Day Weekend programming, please visit baseballhall.org/hofclassic.   About the WPBL The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is the only professional women’s baseball league in the United States. The League’s historic inaugural season is set to start Aug. 1 and will run through the second half of September including a regular season and playoffs. The league’s debut season will feature their four teams – New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – and will be held at historic Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill. The League is co-founded by baseball pioneer, Justine Siegal, who is the first woman to coach a professional men’s baseball team and to pitch batting practice in Major League Baseball. For more information, visit womensprobaseballleague.com.   The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an independent nonprofit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime. Opening its doors for the first time on June 12, 1939, the Hall of Fame has stood as the definitive repository of the game’s treasures and as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete. It is every fan’s “Field of Dreams,” with its stories, legends and magic shared from generation to generation.