Canada's Alli Schroder on fire and the growth of Women's Baseball

Alli Schroder was a teenager when she helped Canada earn a bronze medal at the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup 2018. Since then, she has gone through a lot in baseball and her personal life.

Schroder became the first-ever woman to play in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC)

"Women's Baseball has grown," Schroder told the WBSC. "We are seeing a lot more players competing at the College level. It's really exciting to see women's baseball grow this way. We are in a younger era than we were five years ago. Seeing new people compete for a gold medal makes it even more exciting."

After competing in the Australian Women's Baseball Showcase, Schroder picked up certifications in chainsaw operation, First Aid and other training to fight forest fires, something she's done since she was 15.

In the summer of 2021, relentless wildfires tore through British Columbia. Schroder worked 14-day shifts, which means 14 days on, two days off. "I found that was quite strenuous having to do that," commented Schroder in an interview with the Sportsnet.ca website.

Schroder, who has been playing as a utility at the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup 2023, recognized that, despite the pressure, in baseball, "there's nothing as big at stake as there's on the fire line."

She also added that having a spot guaranteed in next year's World Championship round doesn't force Canada to take this year's tournament lightly. "We want to come out of here with a 5-0 record. We cannot just roll to next year's [championship phase]. We are here to show what this team can do."

And Canada, ranked third in the world, are doing exactly that, sitting second in the standings with a 2-1 win-loss record having claimed an opening win over World Cup debutants Mexico before beating Hong Kong, China and losing to world No. 2 USA. With two games remining in the tournament against Korea and Australia, the hosts are looking good for a top two finish-