SURREY B次元官网网址� The Boys of Spring? Make room for the women.

In a move to further the development of female baseball in B.C., women are lacing up their cleats for the first time to take on the men of the Lower Mainland Baseball Association.

And it all starts in Surrey.

On Saturday (April 7) at Holly Park, the all-female B.C. Badgers (BC Senior WomenB次元官网网址檚 Baseball) will be playing their first game in the LMBAB次元官网网址檚 45+ Division against the men of the Surrey Sun Devils.

For Badgers team manager Diana Fournier, this has been two decades in the making.

B次元官网网址淔or 20 years this has been a goal of mine,B次元官网网址� she told the Now-Leader. B次元官网网址淲e still have girls being cut from teams because coaches say, B次元官网网址榊ou should play softball, not baseball.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unconscionable.B次元官网网址�

Dan Taylor, commissioner, says the addition of the Badgers to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 largest adult baseball league is B次元官网网址渉istory in the making.B次元官网网址�

For the past two seasons, he says, individual female players have played for LMBA club teams and last year, two exhibition games between LMBA players and the BC Provincial Senior WomenB次元官网网址檚 team indicated that further games would be a good fit for both parties.

Taylor says the fact that many team members are scattered throughout the Lower Mainland B次元官网网址� and players from the Interior and Island will be making weekly trips to SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Holly Park for their home games is a testament to the hard work and dedication from the BadgersB次元官网网址� team manager.

B次元官网网址淒iana has done an incredible job in assembling the players and navigating the process of joining the LMBA,B次元官网网址� he wrote in a release.

Taylor also credits Bruce Lawson from Surrey Canadian Baseball for making Holly Park work as the BadgerB次元官网网址檚 home field and for working with both the Badgers and the LMBA.

The Badgers roster, which ranges in age from 17 to 46, includes some of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 top female players who are also vying for a spot to represent B.C. at the WomenB次元官网网址檚 National Baseball Tournament in Montreal in July. Some of them will then go on to represent Canada at the WBSC WomenB次元官网网址檚 Baseball World Cup in Viera, Florida in August.

While the roster includes seven players with womenB次元官网网址檚 national team experience B次元官网网址� and four who were part of the roster that won silver at the 2016 World Cup in South Korea B次元官网网址� it also includes a few who are new to the sport, having started playing just a few years ago.

Scott MacKenzie from said the move to include the Badgers in the LMBA is a great chance to showcase what women can do on the diamond.

B次元官网网址淲omenB次元官网网址檚 baseball may be a niche sport but it is on the world stage,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hese women will show you why.B次元官网网址�

beau.simpson@surreynowleader.com
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