Two Langley softball players from the Fraser Valley Fusion 2006 team will play for Canada.
Morgan Reimer, from Walnut Grove, and Lauren Lugtigheid, from Brookswood, have been named to the roster of U18 Team Canada, which will compete in the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas Pan American Championship in Montería, Colombia from March 30th to April 6th.
Reimer is a pitcher who is committed to playing at the University of Washington, while Lugtigheid is an outfielder who committed to playing at Simon Fraser University
Both will head off to university in the fall of this year.
Langley Rep Fastpitch Director Kaitlyn Cameron called them “really good kids and elite level players.”
“It’s awesome for our program and our growth to start producing athletes that are getting to the national level,” Cameron told the Langley Advance Times.
It will be Reimer’s third appearance with the national team, after she made her debut for the senior woman’s national team this summer at the Canada Cup, and played at the Pan Am games this year. It will be Lugtigheid’s first time with the national team.
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Softball Canada is announced the list of athletes on Monday, Feb, 26.
Athletes were selected by head coach Keith Mackintosh and assistant coaches Melissa Basilio and Trevor Ethier following invitational identification camps in February.
“It is always an honour to represent Canada and we look forward to showcasing our talent in Montería, Colombia,” Mackintosh said.
READ ALSO: Gold medal win at provincials completes comeback by Langley-based 06 Fraser Valley Fusion
Eleven nations are set to compete in Colombia, grouped into two divisions for the preliminary round.
Team Canada is in Group B, alongside Brazil, Cuba, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Group A features Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Peru.
The event will award the last five tickets to the WBSC World Cup, to be held in Brazil, China and the U.S. beginning in July, with the finals in Dallas, Texas.