08/11/2025
Strike Zone Sports is so excited to announce that Rachael Wakefield is joining our instructor team at both our Eagan and Hugo locations! Rachael will be specializing in pitching, hitting, fielding, and throwing lessons! 🥎
Rachael grew up in the Hudson/River Falls area of Western Wisconsin, and recently moved to Saint Paul, MN. She played club ball for the Minnesota Irish Fastpitch Organization as a Pitcher, Outfielder and 3rd Baseman, and continued her academic and softball career at the collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (D3) from 2017-2021 as a true Utility player.
Rachael played for River Falls High School, graduating in 2017, and was a 4X Varsity Letter Award winner, and an All-Conference selection in the Big Rivers Conference (D1) as a Pitcher and Outfielder her Junior and Senior years. She also received the Conference Slugger Award in her Junior Year. During her high school career, she received several team awards including Team MVP and Golden Glove awards. She was the Team Captain of the Wildcats as a Junior and Senior.
Rachael recently finished her college softball career at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in 2021 and graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. During her time at UW-Steven’s Point, she quickly became an extremely vital player on the Pointer’s roster, as her speed and versatility to play several positions earned her a 4 year starting spot as outfielder and 2nd basemen. Despite playing her entire career with a torn labrum in her left shoulder which at times limited her ability to swing, only allowing her to play defense or pinch run in some games, and losing the majority of her Junior Season to COVID in 2020, Rachael collected an impressive set of statistics during her time in a Pointers jersey. On the field, Rachael started in 98 games out of 118 games played, and had a career Fielding Percentage of .957. At the plate, she obtained a career Batting Average of .319 and a Slugging Percentage of .391. She had 79 Total Hits which consisted of 66 Singles, 10 Doubles, 1 Triple, and 2 Home Runs that produced 41 RBI for the Pointers. Around the bases, she had an On Base Percentage of .366, with 25 Career Stolen Bases, and 48 Scored Runs.
Rachael inherited the passion and natural gift of coaching from her mom, a D1 athlete in the sport of basketball herself, who coached a variety of sports at several levels, including collegiate, with a degree in Kinesiology, a masters degree in Counseling, and several years spent as a personal trainer. Growing up as the “Coach’s Kid” in softball and basketball, Rachael experienced sports from both the player and coach’s angle at all times, which gave her the opportunity as a player to understand the sports and athletes that played them inside and out.
Rachael began her coaching career at the young age of 14, assisting her mom with coaching youth softball and basketball. She also gave pitching and hitting lessons all throughout high school to younger players. She has been coaching club ball since 2018 with experience at the 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U levels. She has coached with several organizations including River Falls Youth Softball Association, the St. Croix Surge 18U, Sandpipers 16U/18U Teams, ISA 12U-18U, and the Minnesota ICE 16U/18U Teams. She is currently the head coach of the Minnesota ICE 16U Gold Team.
Rachael has a strong passion for instructing and loves seeing all the behind the scenes progress each player makes while working on their skills with her and then witnessing her coaching or adjustments applied in games leading to personal or team successes. She has a great eye for making simple adjustments to mechanics that have led countless players to make significant improvements and see great success. She also places high value in the mental part of the game, and uses several strategies to teach proper approaches and mentalities to her athletes in all aspects of the game. Rachael prides herself on her ability to make strong connections with athletes not only as players, but as people too! She loves to become a person her players can rely on for anything and everything on and off the field, to help unlock their full potential as athletes and strong individuals.
Book with Rachael through our website at either location! www.strikezonesports.net
