Canadians in girls’ baseball showcase

MLB event in Texas includes tournament

Liz Gilder’s baseball journey began as a bit of a fluke when her mother signed her up for the sport after failing to find a registration form for their local softball league.

Thirteen years later, that improvisation is paying off.

Gilder, now an 18-year-old left-hander with Canada’s women’s baseball team, is among eight Canadians participating this week at the first MLB Grit Invitational — a development tournament in Texas for high-school-age girl baseball players.

While the Port Moody, B.C., native is looking forward to seeing how she stacks up against other talent in Texas, she’s more excited about what the event could mean for women’s baseball in general.

“Knowing that MLB is backing us and promoting us, it means a lot,” Gilder said. “A lot of people will find out about our sport because of this.”

Elizabeth Benn, MLB’S co-ordinator of Labour, Diversity and Youth Programs, says the Grit Invitational — a brainchild of MLB and USA Baseball — aims to tackle the common misconception that women don’t play baseball.

And its timing alongside International Women’s Day on Friday is more than just a happy coincidence.

“We were trying to make it so it didn’t interfere too much with the girls’ baseball seasons, but we wanted to have it in the spring so they could get exposure while playing on their high school teams,” said Benn, a Toronto native.

The Grit Invitational offers a development camp and tournament-style play for 64 high school students, including the eight from Canada and another eight from Puerto Rico. Most of them are the only girls on boys teams.

Gilder will be joined in Texas by fellow national team pitcher Alli Schroder of Fruitvale, B.C. The other Canadians are Marika Lyszczyk, also of B.C., Sena Cattarell, Alexane Fournier and Sophy Gagne of Quebec, Caitlin Tomotaugu of Ontario and Nova Scotia’s Ellie Macaulay.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL FIND OUT ABOUT OUR SPORT.

Liz Gilder