A St. Albert teenager has been chosen to for a spot on a U15 Team Canada softball team at a tournament in Mexico.
Born and raised in St. Albert, Tatum Lecavalier, 15, has been playing softball for seven years. She got into it to expand her horizons and hasn't looked back.
"Lots of my family and friends were playing it and I honestly wanted to try something new," Lecavalier said. "I really liked it."
Lecavalier also plays volleyball and basketball, but the full plate of after school sports isn't something that bothers her.
"I like being busy. I don't really like sitting at home all the time. I like running around, playing sports a lot," she said.
Out of the three though, softball is her favourite and she has a passion for hitting. She is also devoted to her team, the St. Albert Angels, where she pitches and plays first base. She'll primarily play first base for Team Canada.
"There's lots of great kids and families that we've had the opportunity to play with since the girls were nine," said her father and softball coach Mike Lecavalier. He has been coaching his daughter's team for three years.
Tatum Lecavalier found out about her selection on the way to a basketball tournament in January. She was shocked and elated.
"I was like, 'What the heck? What did I just hear?'" she said. "I was very excited, but also sort of shocked because I didn't really know I would make it."
Lecavalier is one of 18 players selected from tryouts across the country. Overall, 10 athletes were picked from British Columbia, four from Ontario, and two each from Alberta and Saskatchewan. It's the inaugural year of the Softball Canada's U15 Women's National Team program. The roster will include 16 active players and two alternates.
They'll play in the WBSC Americas II Pan American U15 Women’s Championship. The event will take place March 20-29 in Acapulco, Mexico. The event serves as a qualifier for the WBSC U15 Women's Softball World Cup, which is scheduled for summer 2025 in Italy.
Lecavalier said she's honoured to represent Canada and also excited to play alongside her new teammates, some of whom she says she's played against in tournaments over the last few years.
"I'm very excited to play for Canada and also meet a lot of new people who are really good at softball," she said. "I'm just really excited for the experience."
For Mike Lecavalier, seeing his daughter playing at a high level like this speaks to the excellence of the St. Albert organization.
"Obviously it's cool to see them play at a high level, but she's got a great squad here in St. Albert that we've played with forever. It's a pretty tight knit community," he said. "So it's just cool to see one of the kids get a chance to do this, but it speaks to the whole organization and the specific families and kids Tatum has had a chance to play with."
