Pitching prospect Katie Hagan makes national under-20 baseball team

Dartmouth pitcher Katie Hagan is just 15 years old, but she's about to wear Canada's colours for the national under-20 women's baseball team.

Hagan is among three Nova Scotians suiting up for Canada at next month's international tournament in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

She's the youngest player on the team.

"I was extremely excited because I worked hard all winter," said Hagan, a right-hander. "It was a proud moment."

Great international experience

Outfielder Maria Roy of Hammonds Plains and infielder Raelea Nickerson of Lower Sackville are also on the team. Both players are 18.

Veteran manager Andre Lachance is the coach.

"The opportunity to play in international competition at a young age will be an invaluable experience for our team," Lachance said.

Huge accomplishment for Nova Scotia athletes

Hagan is a  Grade 10 student at Newbridge Academy in Lower Sackville where they have a dedicated baseball program.

She plays on rep teams with boys and with girls through Nova Scotia's high performance teams.

"Anytime you put one of your athletes on a national team, it's a huge accomplishment for those athletes," said Brandon Guenette,  a coach with the high performance program and executive director at Baseball Nova Scotia.

"To have three of them there, we couldn't be more happy for these girls."

Raw talent, good fastball

Many of Hagan's teammates have already turned 19.

But she has the combination of raw talent and dedication that should allow her to compete at the national level for years to come.

"She has really good velocity and she has control of three pitches and her mound presence is fantastic" Guenette said.

"She gained the attention of the national team coach at last year's under-16 nationals in Chicoutimi where she pitched a fantastic game against Alberta."

Brother helped her progress

Hagan credits her brother, Joey, about a year-and-a-half older, for some of her success on the mound. He's also an accomplished pitcher.

"If I ever want to go out and play catch, he's always there," said the younger Hagan. "He's a big help. He's someone to talk to when I'm stuck."

Girls baseball developing quickly

Hagan says she would like to play for Canada's senior team some day.

Last year's Pan American Games featured women's baseball and Canada captured silver.

The women's baseball World Cup will be played in South Korea in September and Hagan hopes it will someday be on the roster of Olympic sports.

"It would be mind-blowing," Hagan said. "Girls baseball is definitely developing quickly and that is my long-term goal to play on the senior women's team."