Kayla Wedl

Classroom

Graduating cum laude with a 3.52 GPA, Wedl earned her kinesiology degree in May of 2020.

She was a member of the 2020 Horizon League All-Academic team and was a six-time Horizon League Honor Roll member, earning the distinction all three years she was eligible. Wedl is also a two-time Easton/NFCA Scholar Athlete, taking home the award in the 2016-17 season as well as the 2017-18 season.

Character

“Wedl is a special athlete. She is always willing to put the team first Our program made it through this past fall with everyone staying COVID-19 negative and I believe it was because of Wedl’s leadership both on and off the field. During the shutdown she continued to contribute to those in need by volunteering with a food pantry. I am so blessed that I get to be her coach for another season. She makes everyone around her better!”
- Head Coach Lynn Curylo

Community

Kayla Wedl currently serves as UIC’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee President Emeritus after serving as the committee’s President last season. She is also serving as a Senior Mentor for the Freshmen Mentorship Program at UIC this year. During an unexpected break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped box up food and meals in her community at the Wauconda Food Pantry.

The shortstop has also volunteered four years with Special Olympics Bocce Ball (2016-19), three years at the Mark Sheridan Math & Science Academy Trunk or Treat (2017-19), and helped with the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force at their event in 2018. Wedl also assisted with the Chicago Cubs RBI Camp in 2019 and helped run stations for prospective UIC softball players at the UIC Softball Camp hosted in 2018.

Competition

Wedl was crowned the 2019 Horizon League Player of the Year and was named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List for the 2020 season. Despite the shortened season, she led the team in hits (23), runs (14), and steals (6) in 2020.

The shortstop finished the 2019 season with the fourth-highest single season batting average in both Horizon League and UIC history at .453, while also finishing with the seventh-most RBIs (61) and home runs (15) in Horizon League single season history.

She was named to the Horizon League All-League first team in 2018 & 2019, after previously earning a spot on the 2017 All-League second team. Wedl was also named NFCA All-Great Lakes Region first team in 2019 and NFCA All-Great Lakes Region second team in 2018.

The graduate student also owns the most career Horizon League Player of the Week awards in conference history with seven so far in her three years of competition. Wedl has also taken home two Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week titles in her career.