A historic announcement was made at Royal Athletic Park this afternoon when the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League announced the signing of 19-year-old Claire Eccles.
The left-handed pitcher from White Rock becomes the first female player in league history and will make her debut with the team on June 6 in Victoria.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 extremely excited to be getting the opportunity to play at such a high level of ball and being the first female in Canada to do so,B次元官网网址� said Eccles.
B次元官网网址淭he HarbourCats seem like an amazing organization and I canB次元官网网址檛 wait to play for them. As much as this is an accomplishment for myself, I canB次元官网网址檛 help but realize that this is a step in the right direction for any girl with a dream of playing baseball.B次元官网网址�
Standing 5B次元官网网址�8, Eccles realizes she wonB次元官网网址檛 be able to overpower batters. Instead she will rely on her pitching repertoire that includes off speed pitches with lots of movement and a knuckleball that sheB次元官网网址檚 been tinkering with for years.
B次元官网网址淚n warmup we practiced throwing it just for fun, mine just seemed to work,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 played around with it for a while and as I got older, I realized I could actually throw this in a game.B次元官网网址�
The new LHP throws a bit for the crowd at Victoria
B次元官网网址� Victoria B次元官网网址 (@VictoriaB次元官网网址)
A graduate of Elgin Park Secondary in Surrey, B.C., Eccles played outfield for the University of British Columbia softball team this spring and represented Canada at the 2016 WomenB次元官网网址檚 Baseball World Cup in South Korea last September. She is a two-way player for Team Canada (pitcher and outfielder) and made her debut with the national squad when she was 17.
B次元官网网址淲e are excited to add Claire to the HarbourCats and canB次元官网网址檛 wait to see her getting a chance to throw for us and compete for innings out of the bullpen,B次元官网网址� said Brad Norris-Jones, General Manager for the team.
B次元官网网址淐laire has competed at and been successful at many levels of the game, playing against both women and men. We think her poise on the mound and experience internationally will give her a chance to get the outs we need.B次元官网网址�
While Eccles is slated to begin her career in the pen, Norris-Jones didnB次元官网网址檛 rule out having her start games at some point this season.
As for any added pressure above and beyond being labeled the first female player in league history, Eccles shrugged off questions about her future success or failure reflecting on other females trying to play a male-dominated sport at a high level.
B次元官网网址淭here are probably a lot of girls better than me out there somewhere, but just donB次元官网网址檛 get the same opportunity as I have. So I think it opens more people to the idea that girls can play baseball,B次元官网网址� she said.
Instead Eccles is excited about getting on the mound and maybe getting into the head of opposing batters.
