Batter up!

Softball is no longer the only option for females stepping into the batter’s box at the Canada Summer Games.

This year’s edition of the national event — which kicked off its second and final week Monday in St. John’s, N.L., — will feature female baseball for the very first time.

Team Manitoba is in Pool B with Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The top two teams in the group will advance to the playoff round. Manitoba takes the field today at 9:30 a.m. CT against Saskatchewan and again at 4:30 CT vs. Nova Scotia.

“To be honest, when I found out I was given the opportunity to go, I was speechless and very humbled and honoured to be a part of this community,” said shortstop Kirsten Giesbrecht, a 17-year-old from Altona.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to represent Manitoba and I think it’s really awesome and cool that they put this in the Canada Summer Games.”

The sport is on rise locally. Last year, Winnipeg’s 15U AA baseball league made Manitoba baseball history by having the first-ever all-girls team — St. James A’s (Yellow) — compete. This summer, the Winnipeg Minor Baseball introduced a U12 girls league with five teams.

“I played for St. James last year and it was awesome getting to play on an all-girls baseball team,” said first baseman Mya Richard, a 16-year-old hailing from Elie.

“I had never experienced something like that before. I truly think if we keep going at the rate that we’re at with female baseball, it’ll grow to be something huge, and we can open a lot of doors for younger girls in the future.”

Nearly 40 players tried out for Manitoba’s CSG team before the roster got whittled down to 14. They played in the Wayne Tucker Memorial Tournament in May against U15 AA boys’ teams and made it all the way to the championship game. They also finished in second place at a tune-up event last month with Quebec, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia all participating.

“Throughout our summer, we’ve worked super hard and have played a lot of games together which has not only strengthened us as ballplayers, but strengthened our connection as a team so we’re planning to bring home a medal,” said Giesbrecht.

“I think it’s quite achievable with the talented group that we have.”

The squad is a true representation of the province as there are players from nine different places, including Winnipeg, Stonewall, Headingley, Oakbank, Mitchell, Landmark and Niverville. Many of them also play softball, and while the game with the bigger ball does offer more options currently, Manitoba head coach Jeremy Culleton sees a ton of value in young girls giving baseball a try. His daughter Caitlin played boys baseball while growing up before picking up softball in high school and it led to her playing at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

“There’s a ton of opportunities in softball, but baseball can be a way to get there and my daughter is proof of that,” said Culleton.

“We have fantastic softball players on this team this year that are coming out and have a chance to travel. We’re just giving girls another opportunity to play at an elite level. The similarities are definitely there. They compliment each other and I think both sports can be played at a high level, and we can see girls develop and go further in sports and I think that’s a plus and a win for us.”

Soon, it will expand past amateur athletics as the Women’s Pro Baseball League kicks off in the summer of 2026. There’s expected to be six teams, and the league is holding tryouts later this month at the home of the MLB’s Washington Nationals.

“When I say I play female baseball, I’ve certainly had people say ‘That’s actually a thing? I never thought girls could play baseball,’” said Richard.

“Honestly, it feels good to show people what we can do and with how talented our group is, we can change this game so that girls have a chance if they want to play and they can do great things.”

Manitoba’s male baseball team at the CSG lost 4-0 to Alberta in the fifth-place game at the end of Week 1.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca