Women’s Invitational Championships: Five players to watch

Photo: Baseball Canada

July 4, 2019

By Adam Morissette

Baseball Canada

OTTAWA - The top women’s baseball players in the country are in Okotoks, Alberta this week for the 14th edition of the Women’s Invitational Championships where six teams will battle for a national title.

Ontario will be looking for their third title in as many years but the eight-time champions will face stiff competition in the form of host Alberta who captured the bronze medal in 2018 while the 21U prospects squad proved that they could hang with the top teams in 2018 after capturing the silver medal. Three-time gold medal winner Québec, 2016 champions BC and a second squad from Ontario round out the field.

Action begins on Thursday, July 4th with medal games set for Sunday, July 7th and fans that can’t attend games can follow all of the action on GAMECHANGER!

If you’re lucky enough to attend the game, here are five players to keep your eyes on:

P/3B Amanda Asay – British Columbia

A player with loads of national and international playing experience, Asay is a dual threat that is among the hardest female throwers on the mound and also packs a punch at the plate with the ability to hit the ball out of the yard at any ballpark.

RHP Allison Schroder – British Columbia

Schroder made a name for herself last summer at the Women’s Baseball World Cup in Florida where her performance on the mound in the bronze medal game helped Canada to a win over the United States. She recently competed at the “GRIT Invitational”, an event in Texas put on by Major League Baseball.

LHP/1B Anne-Sophie Lavallée – Québec

Calm, cool and collected on the mound and while playing in the field, Lavallée pitched Québec to a near upset of Ontario last year in the semi-finals going toe-to-toe with Autumn Mills with eight and two-thirds innings of work in a heartbreaking, extra-innings loss. A valuable member of the Women’s National Team, Lavallée is a leader on an always-hungry Québec squad.

OF/C Sena Catterall – Québec

Coming up through the provincial female baseball program, Catterall is a key piece on her Québec squad after slashing .389/.522/.444 at last year’s Women’s Invitational Championships. She was also one of eight athletes that took part in the “MLB GRIT” high school invitational in March.

IF/RHP Ellie Jespersen – Alberta

Just 16-years-old, Jespersen has built up quite the baseball resume having been a member of various Alberta provincial squads and last year’s 21U Prospects team that took home a silver medal at the Women’s Invitational Championships. Last month she was one of four Canadians to attend the MLB Breakthrough Series in Vero Beach, Florida.