Sam Fischer’s softball resume is a decorated one, with a quality collegiate career; a stint on Team USA; and a lengthy tenure in pro softball domestically and abroad. Despite that decorated resume, Fischer’s career in the game has been a fairly quiet one and her new podcast reflects that relative-unfamiliarity in its very name.
Entitled The Unknown Pro, Fischer’s podcast recently debuted with four full-length episodes, and three new episodes have additionally released since then. The podcast takes on a video-based chatting format, geared more toward discussion and a conversational feel than a rigid question-and-answer interview style.
Make no mistake – Fischer is a podcast host who is first and foremost a terrific softball player. Formerly a member of Team USA for four years, Fischer has spent several years playing professionally in both the National Pro Fastpitch league and with the Scrap Yard organization, as well as in Japan. She was signed to return to the NPF and play for the California Commotion, in their first year as a league franchise, before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the league’s season. Last year, her jersey number was retired at Loyola Marymount, her alma mater.
Fischer’s personality and social media acumen have gained her an ever-growing following online, and she boasts a reach of more than 15,000 followers across her online presence. As her nickname-turned-alter-ego “Samu” – a nickname that was bestowed on her during her playing career in Japan and that has taken on a life of its own since that time – Fischer’s dry and self-deprecating humor is popular, and she is truly one of the game’s most marketable talents.
Podcasting is not something that the Southern California resident approached flippantly; on the contrary, Fischer toyed with the idea for the better part of a year before finally pulling the trigger and putting it into action. “I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while,” she said. “I have a cousin who does a podcast as part of her job, and they had me on as a guest. Then I realized that anybody can talk about anything these days, and what a great platform to use to get things out there that I’ve been thinking about and want to share.”
Stay-at-home orders and quarantine pushed production into high gear, and Fischer’s initial list of guests and interviewees met two common criteria. Not only were they friends of hers – many of them former teammates, as well – but they each had a unique perspective or aspect to their story that she wanted to highlight and delve into. Whether with Team Canada star Sara Groenewegen or Team USA photographer/behind-the-scenes expert Jade Hewitt, the conversations provided quality listening from start to finish.
As Fischer continues her career on the field, and builds her brand off of it, chances are good that she won’t be unknown for much longer.
