One of the longest tenured players on the Women’s National Team, Kaleigh Rafter has been part of Team Canada since 2007. Since competing at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Guelph, Ontario native has amassed an impressive international resume. At the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship she has competed for Canada in every event since 2010, and was part of bronze medal winning teams in 2010, 2016 and 2018. She has also competed in the last three Pan American Games, taking home Silver medals in 2007 and 2011 and Gold at the 2015 competition in Toronto.

Rafter began her collegiate playing career at Detroit Mercy in 2006. Through her three-year career with the Titans, she was twice named Horizon League Player of the Year and an All-Region selection by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). Following her junior season at Detroit, Rafter sat out the season to compete with the National Team in 2008. Following the 2008 Olympics, Rafter finished her collegiate playing career at Florida State where she helped lead the Seminoles to a 44-16 record and an NCAA Regional appearance. Rafter holds both a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminology and Master’s Degrees in Criminology and Sports Management from Florida State University.

She also played two seasons professionally for Honda in the Japanese Professional Softball League.

Since 2016, Rafter has been an assistant coach with the University of Virginia softball team where she serves as the team’s offensive coordinator and overseeing the catchers and infielders.

Q&A

What Minor Softball Association did you grow up playing in? Guelph Gators, Brampton Blazers
What’s your favourite food? Rice
What’s your favourite book? Non-Fiction: Man’s search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Fiction: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
What’s the best movie you’ve ever watched? Shawshank Redemption 
What’s your favourite place that softball has taken you? Australia and Rio De Janerio
What are your future aspirations? Continue in the game of softball either coaching or in administration.
If you could spend an hour with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be? Geno Auriemma.  Think he will go down as one of the greatest coaches and motivators of all time.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2007 Pan American Games - Silver
2008 Olympian
2010 WBSC World Championship - Bronze
2011 Pan American Games - Silver
2015 Pan American Games - Gold
2016 WBSC World Championship - Bronze
2017 WBSC Americas Qualifier - Bronze
2018 WBSC World Championship - Bronze