Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada is very pleased to announce a Women’s National Team Celebration Tour to celebrate the team’s historic Olympic Bronze medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Celebration Tour stops include a series of games against. No. 10 Netherlands from June 16-18 in Ontario and against No. 11 Czech Republic from June 29 to July 1 in Saskatchewan.
Celebration Tour games in Ontario will include one game at Exhibition Park A1 in Guelph, Ont., one game at Durham Field in Oshawa, Ont. and a doubleheader at the Fairgrounds in Brampton, Ont.
Saskatchewan stops include a doubleheader at Spruce Haven Ball Park in Melfort, Sask., one game at Prime Ministers Park in Prince Albert, Sask. and a Canada Day doubleheader at Bob Van Impe Stadium in Saskatoon, Sask.
In addition to celebrating its Olympic athletes, Softball Canada will also be recognizing its national and team sponsors during the Celebration Tour, including Rawlings Canada, Tim Hortons, Mizuno Canada, Home Run Sports, Flow Water, California Prunes, iGan Partners, Axiom Mortgage Solutions and Verico Financial Group.
The Women’s National Team will also be competing at the Canada Cup International Fastpitch Championship from June 20-26 in Surrey, B.C. in between Celebration Tour stops.
CELEBRATION TOUR STOPS
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION |
| June 16 | Netherlands | 7:00pm EDT | Guelph, Ont. |
| June 17 | Netherlands | 7:00pm EDT | Oshawa, Ont. |
| June 18 | Netherlands | 12:00pm & 2:00pm EDT | Brampton, Ont. |
| June 29 | Czech Republic | 5:00pm & 7:00pm CST | Melfort, Sask. |
| June 30 | Czech Republic | 6:30pm CST | Prince Albert, Sask. |
| July 1 | Czech Republic | 1:00pm & 3:00pm CST | Saskatoon, Sask. |
Ticket information and streaming details for each individual location will be announced at a later date on the Women’s National Team Celebration Tour website.
Canada is currently ranked No. 3 in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Rankings and will compete in the World Games July 9-13 in Birmingham, Alabama, with a WBSC Americas Pan American Championship expected to take place in November.
A total of seven athletes from the Olympic roster have officially retired from the program, including three who have since taken coaching positions with the team – head coach Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.), assistant coach Jenn Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) and pool coach Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.).
Olympians expected to return in 2022 include Emma Entzminger (Victoria, B.C.), Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Kelsey Harshman (Delta, B.C.), Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.), Janet Leung (Mississauga, Ont.), Erika Polidori (Brantford, Ont.) and Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.), along with alternates Callum Pilgrim (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Morgan Rackel (Calgary, Alta.). Sara Groenewegen (Surrey, B.C.) may be available to compete on a limited basis this summer.
Other Olympians who have retired include Jenna Caira (Toronto, Ont.), Jen Gilbert (Saskatoon, Sask.), Danielle Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) and Lauren Regula (Trail, B.C.).
Softball Canada will hold open identification camps in Saskatoon, Surrey and Brampton over the next month followed by a final selection camp in Ontario ahead of the Celebration Tour games to select rosters for the Canada Cup and the World Games.-SC-
For more information, please contact:
Gilles LeBlanc
Manager – Marketing & Communications
Softball Canada
p: (613) 523-3386 ext. 3105 | m: (613) 795-1996
w: www.softball.ca | e: gleblanc@softball.ca