Three girls from Yarmouth County are going to play baseball at the Canada Games.
Anna Murphy of Yarmouth, Ellie Pyne of the Wasoqopa’q First Nation and Maddie Gates of Kemptville have made Team Nova Scotia’s 16-player roster.
It’s the first year for girls baseball at the games, the tournament starts August 19 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Gates says it’s an honour to make the team.
“It means a lot to us because we’re from Yarmouth, and there are a lot of good players in Halifax, so it just means a lot to be able to represent this area,” said the 14-year-old pitcher, who is one of the youngest players on the team.
The three say they’ve been taking part in practices in the city since October, and are looking forward to the challenge.
Sixteen-year olds Pyne and Murphy say the competition will be tough, but they like their chances.
“I’m pretty excited, and think we have a really good shot,” said outfielder Pyne, who started playing baseball on girls teams when she was 12.
“Teams like Ontario and Quebec are pretty tough because they come from bigger areas, but we feel we can hold our own.” added pitcher and infielder Murphy, who also plays U15 AAA ball.
“It’s a big tournament, and I hope we can represent Nova Scotia well.”
The three thank their parents and family for all their support.
“We’ve done a lot of carpooling and travel to the city, we thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to help us.”
Team Nova Scotia begins with a morning game against New Brunswick on August 19 and an evening game against Manitoba.
Find the full schedule here.
