Canadian Women’s Softball Team Heads Overseas for Japan Tour

Canadian Women’s Softball Team Heads Overseas for Japan Tour

13 June 2018 Gilles LeBlanc

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Ottawa, Ont. – The Canadian Women’s National Softball Team is kicking off its 2018 season with a two-week Japan Tour that will include fourteen 14 games against several local Japanese teams between June 14-26. The team just completed a 12-day training camp held at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif. and will head overseas with a roster of twenty-one (21) athletes.

Following the Japan Tour, Team Canada will travel back to California to rest and train before competing in the USA Softball International Cup (previously known as the US World Cup of Softball) from July 9-15 in Irvine, Calif. immediately followed by the Canada Cup from July 17-22 in Surrey, B.C. After the Canada Cup, the team will return overseas to train in Japan ahead of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship that will be played August 2-12 in Chiba, Japan.

Canada’s 17-player roster for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship will be announced after the team returns from the Japan Tour.

The WBSC World Championship will determine the first team(s) to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo as the Gold medalist will earn a direct berth to the Olympic Games. In the event host Japan wins Gold, the Silver medalist will also earn a spot at the 2020 Olympic Games. Regional qualifiers will determine the remaining four entries for the six-team Olympic Games field with dates and locations to be determined later. The Americas region will have two entries, while Europe/Africa and Asia/Oceania will each have one.

WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM SCHEDULE

The twenty-one (21) athletes who are travelling to compete in the Japan Tour are:

FIRST NAME LAST NAME HOMETOWN
Kara Bilodeau Cumming, Ga.
Kristen Brown Levittown, N.Y.
Jenna Caira Toronto, Ont.
Emma Entzminger Victoria, B.C.
Larissa Franklin Maple Ridge, B.C.
Kenzie Friesen Saskatoon, Sask.
Jennifer Gilbert Saskatoon, Sask.
Sara Groenewegen Surrey, B.C.
Victoria Hayward Toronto, Ont.
Karissa Hovinga Edmonton, Alta.
Kelsey Jenkins Delta, B.C.
Danielle Lawrie Langley, B.C.
Janet Leung Mississauga, Ont.
Joey Lye Toronto, Ont.
Sara Plourde Baker Lake, N.B.
Erika Polidori Brantford, Ont.
Kaleigh Rafter Guelph, Ont.
Jenn Salling Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Nicole Schroeder Yorba Linda, Calif.
Holly Speers Surrey, B.C.
Natalie Wideman Mississauga, Ont.

COACHING STAFF

POSITION NAME HOMETOWN
Head Coach Mark Smith Falmouth, N.S.
Assistant Coach Melissa Basilio Pickering, Ont.
Assistant Coach Russell Cooper Tahiti Bay, NZL
Assistant Coach Dave Paetkau Abbotsford, B.C.
Performance Analyst Hubie Basilio Oshawa, Ont.
Performance Analyst Glenn Boles St. Catharines, Ont.
Strength & Conditioning Kiri Langford Collingwood, Ont.
Mental Performance Lauren Tashman Pennington, N.J.
Athletic Therapist Natalie Ghobrial North York, Ont.
Team Leader Melissa Finley London, Ont.
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