Eccles, Fournier and Schroder to attend Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase
OTTAWA – Baseball Canada would like to congratulate Women’s National Team athletes Claire Eccles (Surrey, BC), Alexane Fournier (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and Alli Schroder (Fruitvale, BC) on their invitations to participate in the Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase that will take place at the Geelong Baseball Centre in Geelong, Australia from May 5-8.
The four-day event will feature the top players in Australia along with international representation from Canada, Japan and the United States representing the Adelaide Giants, Brisbane Bandits and Victoria Aces.
Each team will play four opening round games with the top-two teams to face off in the May 8 grand finale.
With support from the World baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the games will be broadcast internationally.
“The support of the WBSC and the federations in Canada, Japan and USA is great for the Australian Women’s Showcase,” said Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams. “Not only will the event provide a platform for Australia’s best to show what they can do, adding some of the best female players in the world to event will add an exciting element.”
Eccles has been part of the international baseball scene since 2014 when she first represented Canada at the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup. Since then, she has won four medals in international competition including silvers at the 2015 Pan Am Games and 2016 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup along with bronze medals at the 2018 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup and the 2019 COPABE World Cup Qualifier. In 2017, she became the first woman to play in the West Coast League, pitching for the Victoria HarbourCats.
“After being out of baseball for so long with COVID I’m looking forward to getting back out there and honoured to be representing Canada in this showcase,” said Eccles. “I think it’s so important for Women’s baseball to implement a professional league and provide playing opportunities for females as they get older in order to grow our game.”
Fournier joined Team Canada ahead of the 2019 COPABE World Cup Qualifier in Aguascalientes, Mexico in August 2019 where she helped the squad win bronze and earlier that year participated in Major League Baseball’s GRIT Invitational.
“I am honored to represent Canada at this prestigious event because this is a huge recognition from (Canada’s) national team coaches and I am extremely grateful for the trust they have in me,” explained Alexane Fournier. “I’m really looking forward to competing against some of the top players in the world because it’s an opportunity to compare myself, learn from the best and gain experience on the international scene.
“I can’t wait to be part of this event. It is going to be a big step in my baseball career.”
Schroder made her Team Canada debut at the 2018 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup in Florida where she earned the win in the bronze medal game in a victory over the United States. She was back in a national team uniform in 2019 helping Canada to a bronze medal at the 2019 COPABE World Cup Qualifier in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She currently attends Vancouver Island University where she is a member of the baseball team and is the first woman to play in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference (CCBC).
“It’s an honour to be representing Canada at this world class event and have the opportunity to bring awareness to the women’s game overseas,” added Schroder.