Baseball Canada’s women’s national team roster for the Women’s World Cup will be officially announced, Monday, before the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx face-off against the Norfolk Tides at Lynx Stadium.
After all 18 players on Team Canada’s roster are introduced, one of the athletes will throw out the first pitch as a prelude to the 12:05 p.m. start. The athletes will then be in attendance for the game and will depart for Taipei, Taiwan, the site of the 2006 World Cup, early Monday evening.
Canada finished third behind the United States and Japan, beating Australia in the bronze medal game at the first-ever Women’s World Cup in Edmonton, Alta., in 2004.
Canadian head coach and Baseball Canada’s manager of baseball operations, André Lachance, is optimistic that this year’s squad should be able to either match or better their result in the team’s second World Cup appearance.
“Baseball Canada is extremely proud to be involved in the development of women’s baseball,” said Lachance. “Baseball opened its doors to women during World War II and has since taken on a whole new complexion with the advent of numerous international competitions for women. There are now plenty of opportunities for girls to play this wonderful sport and we hope that young girls will continue to play baseball because it’s now possible to play it at all levels.”
Canada will tune up for the World Cup with exhibition games against Australia, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong prior to opening their World Cup schedule against the United States, July 31 at Tien-Mou Stadium in Taipei.
Click here for Baseball Canada’s women’s national team program schedule.
