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Competing with the boys

Oakville teen sixth girl to play in Junior League World Series

feel boys will be more competition, says Baxter,

who also played boys hockey in the Minor Oaks
Beaver Sports Editor
Hockey Association for years before recently
switching to the Oakville Hornets girls program.
And I prefer playing baseball.
unior League World Series organizer
She certainly holds her own. At the recent
Greg Bzura has a special appreciation
for how difficult it can be for girls to national championships in Lethbridge, Alta.,
where the Whitecaps won seven of eight games
play baseball against boys.
Ive got a high school-aged grand- to qualify for the World Series, Baxter hit .286
with seven runs scored, four
daughter who is very athletic,
runs batted in, four steals and
and I saw what experiences she
a team-high five walks. Her onwent through. She was on an allbase percentage (.500) ranked
star team every year she played,
sixth on Oakvilles 13-player
playing with boys all the way
roster, and she also played errorthrough, says Bzura, who foundfree defence.
ed the annual Little League interThough the Whitecaps lost
national 14-under championship
their first three games at the
34 years ago in Taylor, Mi.
World Series, Baxter continShe was a pitcher and an inued to contribute. She walked
fielder. When she struck kids out,
twice and scored a run in
I felt sorry for the boys.
Oakvilles second game MonHowever, Bzura quickly conday against the Czech Repubcedes that his own granddaughlic, and she recorded one of
ter wasnt capable of playing at the
John Sweeney the Whitecaps two extra-base
Little League World Series level.
Oakville Little League president hits a double Wednesday
Eventually, the pitchers throw the
versus Panama.
ball too fast, the hitters hit the ball
I just think shes an underestimated player.
too hard. It takes a special, as he puts it, female
to compete internationally in Little League base- People look at her because shes a female and
think she wont be as strong as they are, but its
ball, particularly at the older ages.
Oakvilles Emily Baxter is one of those rare the exact opposite, Oakville Little League presispecial players. The 15-year-old Holy Trinity dent John Sweeney says.
Shes earned the right to be there. She had
high school student became just the sixth female in Junior League World Series history to to go through the whole tryout process. Shes
participate in the tournament when she suited earned it, based on skills and abilities.
Baxters success competing with and against
up for the Oakville Whitecaps Sunday against
Puerto Ricos Villa Blanca Boys and Girls Base- teenaged boys has also been helped by the support of her teammates, according to her coach,
ball League.
Baxter, who has been in the Whitecaps all- Nick Rigato.
Its almost as if they dont see her as a girl.
star program since she was nine, plays second
base, catcher and left field. She occasionally even They see Emily as a teammate, and I dont think
there are any different expectations, says Rigato.
pitches.
I think the fact that shes allowed to perform
I just want to play the highest caliber, and I
by Jon Kuiperij

People... think
she wont be as
strong as they
are, but its the
exact opposite.

Emily Baxter warms up in the bullpen during the Oakville Whitecaps game against Puerto Rico Sunday at the Junior
League World Series in Taylor, Mi. | photo courtesy of Dave Gorgon
Junior League World Series communications director

and play as one of the regular players makes it

easy for her. Shes an extremely athletic girl
and the one thing about Emily is that everything
that is expected of any player at this level, she
does.
Baxter admits that shes noticed it is becoming
more difficult to keep up.
The guys, once they hit puberty, they get
stronger and faster, she says.
Eventually, she might switch to girls softball
which she got a taste of this past spring at
Holy Trinity, when she helped the Titans to the

Halton championship in hopes of landing a

university scholarship.
Shes also intrigued by the possibility of someday representing Canada in international womens baseball, a sport which made its Pan American Games debut last month in Ajax.
But for now, Baxters happy playing baseball
with the boys.
I feel like Im representing the girls who want
to play baseball with the guys, she says.
And trying to be a role model to the younger
girls who want to do it.

Bantam provincial title extra sweet for Hawks

Troy Cordingley has won two National Lacrosse
League championships as a player and two more as
a head coach.
So you might think guiding the Oakville Hawks
to a provincial bantam box lacrosse title Sunday
wouldnt rank too highly on the local residents personal highlight reel.
Think again.
Im still celebrating, Cordingley, who has cocoached the Hawks core group with Bob Sykes for
the past eight years, said Tuesday afternoon.
Ive been a very fortunate person to have won and

to be able to coach where I coach during the winter.

But this is the one I wanted so bad, I guess because of
the relationships I have with these kids, he said, his
voice beginning to crack.
It tugged on heart strings. It was really cool.
The bantam A Hawks locked up their first Ontario
title, and the Oakville Minor Lacrosse Associations
second in two years, with a decisive 5-1 victory over
the Whitby Warriors at Oakvilles Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC). The game was sandwiched between two other provincial finals involving Hawks
see OMLA on p.26

25 | Friday, August 21, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com

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Jon Kuiperij