Quebec teens head to Texas for all-girls baseball tournament

It's arguably the chance of a lifetime — a weekend in Texas, in the dead of winter, learning about the sport you love, and playing a few games on a field you've only seen on TV.

Eight young women from Canada, including three from Quebec, will get that opportunity starting Friday, International Women's Day: they will be among 64 high school students taking part in the inaugural edition of Major League Baseball's Grit Invitational, an all-girls baseball tournament in Arlington, Texas.

Not a bad way to spend the tail end of March break.

The participants come from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and will play under the tutelage of some of the top female baseball figures and former Major League players.

They will also learn about the collegiate recruiting process and alternative careers in baseball from female MLB executives.

Alexane Fournier, 16, is one of the three Quebecers taking part. She has been playing baseball for 10 years.

The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., resident said she is particularly excited to play on the field at Globe Life Park in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers.

"Just that will be ... wow," she said.

Alexane, who is in her final year of high school, is looking forward to showing scouts from schools south of the border just what she can do.

She played on three teams last year —the U16 and U21 Quebec teams, as well as the Team Canada prospect team.

It was tiring, she said, but given the choice between playing more or less baseball, she prefers more. Always more.

She said she had no issues when she played on co-ed teams, but playing with girls is different.

"It's unique between girls. We're closer," Alexane explained.

Push harder

Sena Catterall, a 17-year-old from Pierrefonds, said when she first made the switch from playing with boys to playing with girls, she missed her old teammates. But that changed.

"Once I got to know everyone, it was easier to relate to them. They understand me better, and I made more friends."

"It was nice to be surrounded by girls."

Sena, an outfielder and catcher on the U21 Quebec team, also started playing baseball young — she was a convert, switching over from soccer when she was eight.

She was invited to sign up to the tournament via email.

"I didn't think I was going to get chosen just because it was such a small chance. I mean, a bunch of girls in Canada had gotten the same email, and they're only picking eight," she said.

She found out in January that she was one of those eight.

Sena said she's excited to see how she measures up against players from the States.

"I know the girls coming from Canada are the top girls in Canada at the moment, so if it's the same for the States, then it's going to definitely be a challenge," she said.

"But I'm looking forward to it because that means I'm just going to push myself that much harder."

Developing talent

One of the people who will be coaching and mentoring the participants is Ila Borders, the first woman to pitch in a men's college baseball game and the first woman to play integrated professional baseball.

She will primarily be working with the pitchers, observing and helping them with mechanics, the mental side of the game and providing feedback on their performances.

She said when she started playing baseball, there were no events like this one. She never came across any other girls who played baseball.

Events like this, she said, will hopefully make the girls feel less alone.

"The game is growing, and it's by getting these opportunities to have women go to these events and learn from other women that have been on the national team, guys that have played professional baseball. It's all about developing that talent."

In the 35-plus years she has been playing baseball, Borders said she has never played on an all-girls team — and many of the girls who will participate in the tournament haven't either.

But things are changing. She said it's a particularly big deal that MLB and USA Baseball, the sponsors of Grit Invitational, are involved in growing the women's game.

She said she is going to talk to the girls about overcoming challenges, a topic she knows about, having experienced sexism and discrimination over the course of her career.

"I'm just trying to show … when somebody puts an obstacle in your way, how to kind of overcome it, how to mentally prepare for that and how I would view failure as a stepping stone to get to where I want to get to."