Natalie Wideman

Natalie Wideman hails from Mississauga, Ontario where she got her start in softball playing for multiple organizations around the GTA, including the Mississauga North Tigers and the Brantford Bobcats. At the collegiate level Wideman played four years from 2011-2014 with the California University of Pennsylvania Vulcans while earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management with a concentration in wellness & fitness. In 2014, she helped the Vulcans to their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship since 2000 and was named the Diamond Sports NCAA Division II Catcher of the Year. She has studied Naturopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Wideman has represented Canada multiple times since debuting with the Women’s National Team in 2012. In 2015 she helped Canada win Gold on home soil at the Pan American Games in Toronto. The medal marked the first Gold by Canada at the tournament since 1983. At the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championships, she helped Canada to bronze medals in 2016 and 2018, and fourth place finishes in 2012 and 2014. She was also a member of Team Canada at the 2019 Pan American Games, hitting .500 in two games of action as Canada won the Silver medal. She also performed well in limited duty at the 2019 WBSC Americas Qualifier, hitting .400 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored in two games played to help Canada earn a spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Earlier in the 2019 season, Wideman played with the Canadian Wild of Southern Illinois in the National Pro Faspitch (NPF) League, registering 8 hits and driving in 5 runs in 21 games.

Q&A

What’s your favourite food? Steak! Fun fact, I started eating steak about a year ago after not eating red meat my entire life.
What’s your favourite book? Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes  
What’s the best movie you’ve ever watched? The Shawshank Redemption
What’s your pre-game ritual? Coffee & music are a must before I leave for the field to get the feel good vibes going!  R&B, country, hip hop, old school… it really depends on my mood. Once I get to the field, I’m usually pretty quiet – I like to refer to it as the calm before the storm. I want to save all my energy so I can be a spark once the game starts. 
What’s your favourite place that softball has taken you? Cape Town, South Africa. Specifically, the top of Table Mountain after climbing it with a few teammates! The views were breathtaking & the journey up was unforgettable.
What are your future aspirations? To return to school to complete my last two years of my degree in Naturopathic Medicine. I see myself working in a clinic seeing patients, educating others about a holistic approach to health and continuing to give back to the community with coaching and motivational speaking. 
If you could spend an hour with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be? Tracee Ellis Ross. Her confidence and individuality are incredibly admirable. She’s strong, successful and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2009 Canada Games - Silver
2015 Pan American Games - Gold
2016 WBSC World Championship - Bronze
2017 WBSC Americas Qualifier - Bronze
2018 WBSC World Championship - Bronze
2019 Pan American Games - Silver