The pre-tournament press conference for the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Finals presented by CARNEXT, held at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, became a seminar on the status of Women's Baseball as the local press started an exciting Q&A session.
"I think we have to take advantage of every opportunity to develop women's baseball further," commented United States manager Veronica Alvarez, the Major League Baseball (MLB) Ambassador for girls in baseball. Everybody in this room can make a difference: players, coaches, the local organizers, the WBSC, and you, the media. We are all part of an exciting opportunity."
Alvarez recalled how the COVID years damaged women's baseball.
"In 2019, we were ready to select a team for the 2020 World Cup. The pandemic cancelled everything. We didn't have a chance to play in WBSC events until last year's group stage."
The US returned to the international stage thanks to a friendly series against Canada.
"We are doing a great job in Canada," commented manager Anthony Pluta. "We are giving girls a lot of opportunities to play. Of course, we would like to see it develop faster, but we like where we are."
He added, "We have a league in Quebec's Province. Most of the players on the National Team competed there. It's an excellent chance to play together.
Mexico's Captain Dani Leal added, "The success Mexico had in the World Baseball Classic impacted baseball in general in our country. Mexico is giving girls more opportunities to play. Being here is a dream come true for me. I've dreamt of playing international baseball since I was seven years old."
The World Cup represents an opportunity to reach more girls.
"If only this World Cup would engage one more girl, it would already be a success," commented Japan's manager, Risa Nakashima.
"We have the opportunity to show girls that if they play baseball, there's a future. Participating in the World Cup can become their goal," added Canada's captain, Sena Catterall.
Alvarez contributed: "In the US, we are just at an early stage of clearing people's minds about girls playing softball and boys playing baseball. The fact is that they both can play both."
"It never occurred to me to switch to softball," added Catterall. I think boys and girls should have the opportunity to choose the sport they like the most."
Chinese Taipei Captain Shi Mei Shu is a former international softball player. She advocates women's baseball and will debut in the Women's Baseball World Cup at 40.
"We have an amateur women's baseball league in Taiwan featuring 13 teams. What we are trying to do is have younger girls play. We have girls playing baseball in junior high school and elementary school and playing with other girls."
Japan's captain Yuki Kawabata added: "In Japan, we have three Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) clubs with a women's team [Yomiuri Giants, Seibu Lions and Hanshin Tigers]. If we had more, this could boost women's baseball development in Japan. Possibly, it could serve as an example for MLB clubs."
Venezuela's Srishna Ariciniega added: "We are also trying to create more playing opportunities for girls in Venezuela. A girl willing to become a baseball player must focus on discipline and hard work."
Japan's manager, Risa Nakashima, faced the inevitable question of whether Japan is everybody's favourite after winning six consecutive World Cups.
"We won six times, but it's never been easy," she said. "This new group is coming together, and there's no guarantee. We will have to grow game by game."
The Women's Baseball World Cup Finals open in Thunder Bay, Canada, on Sunday, July 28
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The six participants will compete in a round-robin. The top two finishers will compete for the World Title. The third and fourth-place teams will play for the bronze medal. The medal games are scheduled for Sunday, August 3.
