SOUTH BEND, IN - After completing her first season as the Athletic Trainer for the South Bend Cubs, Maggie Lowenhar has been named the 'Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year' by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS).
PBATS named 14 winners for postseason athletic training recognition following the 2026 season. All 14 winners, including Lowenhar, will be eligible for the 'Minor League Athletic Trainer of the Year' award, which will be voted on at this year's MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, California.
Lowenhar, a South Bend native, and Marian High School graduate, first worked with the South Bend Cubs as the Athletic Training Intern in 2018. Working under James Edwards that season, a previous South Bend Cubs ‘Midwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year’ winner, Lowenhar eventually joined the Chicago Cubs organization full time. Before eventually returning home to South Bend again this season, Lowenhar worked at both Low-A Myrtle Beach, as well as Double-A Knoxville. After her graduation from Marian, Lowenhar attended Indiana University Bloomington for her undergraduate studies, before heading to the University of North Carolina for her Master of Arts.
“To be recognized by other athletic trainers in this league, especially in my hometown, is incredibly meaningful to me,” Lowenhar said. “I take a lot of pride in representing both the South Bend Cubs and the Chicago Cubs, and knowing that my hard work is recognized by my peers makes this award even more special.”
Lowenhar joins past South Bend Cubs AT's James Edwards (2018), Seth Clapp (2022), and Nick Roberts (2024), who all were honored with the same award in their time spent working at Four Winds Field.
About the South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs are the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Over the past 39 years, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2022, and captured nine division titles. In 2023, the organization was selected as the Single-A Bob Freitas Award recipient by Baseball America. Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best High-A Ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest in 2022 and 2023, having also won the award as a Low-A ballpark in 2017. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the final Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2015, the team was named Ballpark Digest’s Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest honor in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC, whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Illinois.