Langley’s Danielle Lawrie-Locke has been selected to pitch for Team Canada at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
Softball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced the nominees to Canada’s women’s softball team Wednesday (June 19).
Last year, Lawrie-Locke came back after retiring from the sport, winning a berth on Canada’s national women’s softball team.
READ MORE: Lawrie-Locke named to Canada’s national softball team
Lawrie-Locke took up the game at a relatively young age and played at the highest level possible, pitching for the White Rock Renegades, one of the elite programs across Canada.
After graduating from Langley’s Brookswood Secondary, she attended the University of Washington and twice won the U.S. college player of the year award for the Huskies, one of only two women to capture the honour in consecutive years, and also helped UW win a national title.
Lawrie-Locke had played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch league, pitching for the USSSA Florida Pride.
It was her one season of pro ball before she hung up her cleats and settled in Seattle, with her husband, Drew Locke, and focused on her family and career, working as a commentator for the Pac-12 Network as well as doing some broadcast work with ESPN.
Lawrie-Locke’s former Renegades teammate Sara Groenewegen was also named to the team.
“I am very proud to have the opportunity to represent Canada in Peru, and it is something only a select number of people get to do,” said Groenewegen.
“Getting the chance to play at another Pan American Games is an honour, especially after all of the hard work we put in this off season. Toronto (in 2015) was a life changing experience. It was the closest experience to the Olympics that our team has had since 2008, so to be a part of a team that has another chance to live out that experience is really exciting. We are hopeful that the Games will be another step up in our preparation for the Olympic qualifier in August, and we are extremely excited to represent Canada in Peru.”
Softball at Lima 2019 has no direct impact on Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games but is an important final tune-up in preparation for the WBSC. The WBSC Americas Softball Qualifier is scheduled to take place from August 25 to September 1 in Surrey, B.C.
The Canadian women’s softball team won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games and has a pair of bronze medals at the 2016 and 2018 WBSC World Championships. The team is currently competing as the Canadian Wild of Southern Illinois in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League.
Women’s softball at Lima 2019 will take place August 4 to 10 (Day 10 to 15) at Complejo Deportivo Villa Maria del Triunfo.
Lima 2019, which will run from July 26 to August 11, will bring together approximately 6,700 athletes from 41 nations of the Americas and feature 62 disciplines in 39 sports. It will be the largest sporting event ever held in Peru.
The athletes and coaches nominated are:
1. Jenna Caira (Oak Ridges, Ont.) – Pitcher
2. Emma Entzminger (Victoria, B.C.) – Infield
3. Larissa Franklin (Maple Ridge, B.C.) – Outfield
4. Jenny Gilbert (Saskatoon, Sask.) – Outfield
5. Sara Groenewegen (White Rock, B.C.) – Pitcher
6. Victoria Hayward (Toronto, Ont.) – Outfield
7. Danielle Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) – Pitcher
8. Janet Leung (Mississauga, Ont.) – Infield
9. Joey Lye (Toronto, Ont.) – Infield
10. Erika Polidori(Brantford, Ont.) – Outfield
11. Morgan Rackel (Calgary, Alta.) – Pitcher
12. Kaleigh Rafter (Guelph, Ont.) – Catcher
13. Jennifer Salling (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) – Infield
14. Holly Speers (Surrey, B.C.) – Infield
15. Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) – Catcher
1. Mark Smith (Falmouth, N.S.) – Head Coach
2. Melissa Basilio (Pickering, Ont.) – Assistant Coach
3. Russell Cooper (Tahiti Bay, New Zealand) – Assistant Coach
4. Dave Paetkau (Hepburn, Sask.) – Assistant Coach
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