| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20th, 2023
Ottawa, Ont. - Softball Canada and the Women’s National Team coaching staff are pleased to announce the Canadian Women’s National Team roster that will compete at the 2023 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage from July 22-26, 2023, in Castions di Strada and Buttrio, Italy.
The coaching staff made their selections after holding three regional identification camps and one final selection camp.
Canada is currently ranked fifth in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Rankings and qualified for the WBSC World Cup Group Stage and the 2023 Pan American Games with a silver-medal performance at the 2022 WBSC Pan American Championship held November 12-19 in Guatemala City.
The 2023 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup will be the first tournament staged under the new two-stage format. A total of 18 teams have been split into three groups, with the top two teams in each group’s final standing advancing to the Finals that will be held in 2024 in Italy. The two remaining spots will be awarded to wild card entries and/or the host.
Canada will be in Group C, accompanied by No. 2 Japan, No. 8 Italy, No.22 Venezuela, No. 26 Philippines, and No. 28 New Zealand.
Live scoring will be available through the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup website, with live streaming available through GameTime.sport.
The athletes who will represent Canada at the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage are: | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | HOMETOWN | | Dawn | Bodrug | Georgetown, Ont. | | Rylie | Crane | Toronto, Ont. | | Emma | Entzminger | Victoria, B.C. | | Larissa | Franklin | Maple Ridge, B.C. | | Sara | Groenewegen | Langley, B.C. | | Kelsey | Harshman | Delta, B.C. | | Zoe | Hicks | Boissevain, Man. | | Kianna | Jones | Surrey, B.C. | | Janet | Leung | Mississauga, Ont. | | Grace | Messmer | Surrey, B.C. | | Callum | Pilgrim | Abbotsford, B.C. | | Erika | Polidori | Brantford, Ont. | | Morgan | Rackel | Calgary, Alta. | | Nicole | Rivait | Oakville, Ont. | | Samantha | Ryan | Monroe, N.Y. | | Natalie | Wideman | Mississauga, Ont. |
BOLD= Members of the 2022 World Games Team
COACHING STAFF
| FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | HOMETOWN | | Head Coach | Kaleigh Rafter | Guelph, Ont. | | Assistant Coach | Chris Jones | Oshawa, Ont. | | Assistant Coach | Jenn Salling | Port Coquitlam, B.C. | | Assistant Coach | Christian Conrad | Forth Worth, TX | | Athletic Therapist | Natalie Ghobrial | Toronto, Ont. | | Team Leader | Joey Lye | Toronto, Ont. | | Manager | Angela Ballantyne | Ottawa, Ont. |
2023 WBSC Women’s World Cup Group Stage Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | | July 22 | Canada vs. Philippines | 5:00pm CEST (11:00am EDT) | | July 23 | Canada vs. Venezuela | 2:00pm CEST (8:00am EDT) | | July 24 | Canada vs. Japan | 2:00pm CEST (8:00am EDT) | | July 25 | Canada vs. New Zealand | 11:00am CEST (5:00am EDT) | In addition, Softball Canada and the Women’s National Team coaching staff are pleased to announce five additional athletes who will join Team Canada for the 2023 Canada Cup from July 10-16, 2023, in Surrey, B.C.
The tournament, now in its 26th year, showcases some of the top female athletes from all-across Canada and the world as well as more than 1,500 elite athletes at the national and club level. The event includes five divisions: Women’s International, Futures Select (U19), Futures Gold (U19), Showcase Select (16U) and Showcase Gold (16U).
In 2022, following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament took place from June 17-26 at Softball City, Surrey, where Canada finished fourth.
Prior to the tournament, Canada will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in a series of exhibition games against the Florida Vibe at Austin Peay State University.
Lonni Alameda (Tallahasee, Fla.) will be joining the team in Surrey as an Assistant Coach.
The additional athletes who will join Team Canada at the Canada Cup are:
| FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | HOMETOWN | | Ruby | Anderson | Victoria, B.C. | | Kristen | Boyd | Carbon, Alta. | | Madelyn | McKinnon | Surrey, B.C. | | Morgan | Reimer | Langley, B.C. | | Nicola | Simpson | Seattle, Wash. |
BOLD= Members of the 2022 World Games Team
Exhibition Series Schedule - Nashville, Tenn. | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | | June 29 | Canada vs. Florida Vibe | TBD | | June 30 | Canada vs. Florida Vibe | TBD | | July 1 | Canada vs. Florida Vibe | TBD | | July 1 | Canada vs. Florida Vibe | TBD |
2023 Canada Cup Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | | July 10 | Canada vs. Australia | 6:00pm PDT (3:00pm EDT) | | July 11 | Canada vs. Greece | | | July 11 | Canada vs. Italy | 6:00pm PDT (3:00pm EDT) | | July 12 | Canada vs. Mexico | 6:30pm PDT (3:30pm EDT) | | July 13 | Canada vs. Israel | 6:00pm PDT (3:00pm EDT) | | July 14 | Canada vs. Japan | 6:00pm PDT (3:00pm EDT) | | July 15 | Playoff Round | TBD | | July 16 | Medal Round | TBD |
For more information, please contact:
Emma Lindblad
Manager - Communications
Softball Canada
p: (613) 618-8331
w: www.softball.ca | e: elindblad@softball.ca
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