July 15, 2013

Championship games for Select teams Player Profile Feature: Lady Sharks Futures, Showcase Shaelyn Coolbaugh see schedule on page 3

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® CANADA

JAPAN

USA

AUSTRALIA

VENEZUELA

Showdown: Team BC vs Northwest Sharks July 15 CanadianOpenFastpitch.com

Playoff round underway for Select, Futures teams

Caught in a run-down!

Chased by Cloverdale Fury 97’s Kristen Mckee, Estevan Elite’s Kristen Skjonsby makes it safely to second base Sunday during a Showcase Selects game at the Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship at Softball City. (Boaz Joseph/Surrey Leader photo)

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CANADIAN OPEN FASTPITCH HOTSHEET • Monday July 15, 2013

2013

Visit www.CanadianOpenFastpitch. com for event information, maps, tickets, scores and more. Visit BCLocalNews.com for feature coverage of the tournament by Black Press publications, including Peace Arch News and Surrey Leader.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Follow @CdnOpen on Twitter to stay up-to-the-minute with the 2013 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship. Use the hashtag #COFP13 to let people know you’re tweeting about the tournament and to see what others are saying.

Also, follow @BlackPressDigital to stay informed.

Snapshots of the game: Sun. July 14

▼ STAY CONNECTED…

Connect with Canadian Open Fastpitch

CONNECT WITH US ON FACEBOOK

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ CanadianOpenFastpitch, where the 2013 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship will be posting daily news, player features, scores, games and more.

Also, find local coverage and all the stories, photos and info you need to stay current with the event by liking Black Press Facebook pages, including the Peace Arch News and Surrey Leader.

CONNECT WITH US ON INSTAGRAM!

Don’t forget to share your cool and creative photos from the ballpark with Instagram by following @cdnopen_fastpitch.

WATCH GAMES ONLINE, JULY 16-22

The Women’s International Championship games from the Championship Diamond will be broadcast LIVE online with our pay-per-view service! Visit www.

CanadianOpenFastpitch.com to view live games through the dedicated feed directly from Softball City.

Proudly supported by the video team from Briere Production Group and the website streaming services of NeuLion.

FOLLOW ALONG

Pointstreak Sports Technologies is the official scorekeeping software for the Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship. Users will be able to access scores live in real-time at www.CanadianOpenFastpitch.com.

WATCH VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

Visit the Canadian Open Fastpitch official YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/user/ CdnOpenFastpitch for softball-related videos and tournament action.

Allison Rhodes of the Northwest Lady Sharks pitches against the Quebec Rebelles Saturday at the 2013 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship at Softball City on July 13.

(Boaz Joseph/Surrey Leader photo)

Sharks staying sharp in the offseason NORTHWEST LADY SHARKS

pitcher and second baseman for Texas Southern University.

The Northwest Lady Sharks are a newly formed team of Washington-based athletes who all play university ball around the USA. They formed this team specifically so they could stay in shape and keep up their high level of play during the off-season.

Allie Rhodes will likely be the #1 pitcher for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next year; she led her high school team to the state championship her junior year.

LADY SHARKS

The Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship is the highlight of the team’s summer schedule. The team is made up of a talented pool of university athletes who all bring their unique strengths and accomplishments to the diamond.

Lauren and Chloe Kesterson are identical twins that have played together since they were seven years old. They just completed a successful freshman year at Kent State University. Sammii Jimenez is starting

Taylor Greenfield is currently a ball girl for the Seattle Mariners and is no stranger to international competition.

As a high school freshman, Taylor was the starting first baseman on the state championship team.

This is the first time to Canada for many players on the North West Lady Sharks 23-and-under team, and they are most looking forward to exploring the Surrey area and to challenging themselves against top international competition in the Women’s Elite division.

Tweet photos to @CdnOpen

Monday July 15, 2013 • CANADIAN OPEN FASTPITCH HOTSHEET

Friday, July 12th ■ It’s Opening Day of the 2013 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship at Softball City.

Saturday, July 13th ■ Women’s Elite Championship division play begins at Softball City.

■ It’s Opening Day of the 2013 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship at Cloverdale Athletic Park and Sunnyside Park.

Monday, July 15th

■ The Showcase Select Championship Game on Diamond 2 begins at 3:30pm, followed by the Showcase Select Awards Presentation.

■ Watch the Futures Select Championship Game on Diamond 2 at 6:30pm, followed by the Futures Select Awards Presentation.

Tuesday, July 16th ■ Team Canada takes on China-Nanjing for their first game in the Women’s International Division on Diamond 1 at 6:30pm.

■ It’s Boy’s Night Out at the ballpark! Catch some local boys softball games at Diamond 2 at Softball City, 6:30pm and 8:30pm.

Wednesday, July 17th

■ Join the Celebration of Softball! The Parade of Athletes begins at 5:30pm on Diamond 1 at Softball City.

■ Team Canada vs. Team Australia at 7:00pm at Softball City.

Thursday, July 18th ■ Visit Team Canada for their autograph signing, taking place after their 6:30pm game vs. Team Japan at Softball City.

Friday, July 19th ■ The Women’s Elite All Star Awards take place at 5:30pm on Diamond 1.

■ Team Canada vs. Team USA, 6:30pm at Softball City.

Saturday, July 20th Don’t miss the Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch Women’s International All Star Awards on Diamond 1 at 6:00pm.

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Sunday, July 21st • ■ The Showcase Gold Championship Game will be held on Diamond 2 at 1:30pm, followed by the Showcase Gold Awards Presentation.

■ The Futures Gold Championship Game is on Diamond 2 at 4:00pm followed by Futures Gold Awards.

■ The Women’s Elite Championship Game is set for Diamond 1 at 4:00pm, followed by the Women’s Elite Awards Presentation.

▼ KEY DATES AND EVENTS

games to watch:

Today’s Schedule:

MONDAY, July 15

PARKS: SBC - Softball City, CAP - Cloverdale Athletic Park, SP - Sunnyside.

Monday, July 22nd ■ The Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch Women’s International Championship Game happens on Diamond 1 at 7:30pm followed by the Women’s International Awards Presentation.

Are you wondering what’s happening on the field when you’re somewhere else? View scores, statistics, and the live-updated Game Live system from Pointstreak scoring technologies online at www.CanadianOpenFastpitch.com

The PoCo Ravens dugout during a Showcase Select game at Softball City. (Boaz Joseph/Surrey Leader photo)

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CANADIAN OPEN FASTPITCH HOTSHEET • Monday July 15, 2013

▲ DAILY GAME HIGHLIGHTS

U.S. teams unbeaten in Futures Select

American teams claimed the top three seeds for the Futures Selects playoff round.

The Spokane Diamonds, Edmonds Stars and Oregon Fastpitch were the three groups winners after round robin play, each with four wins in as many games. Spokane allowed just one run to take the top-seed. Edmonds was scored on just four times and was seeded second, while Oregon surrendered five runs and earned the third-seed.

The top eight teams began the playoff yesterday.

Semifinal games are today at 1 p.m. at Softball City, followed by the final at 6:30 pm on Diamond #2.

Storm teams still perfect in Showcase

Two teams from the Surrey Storm rep program earned the top two seeds for the Showcase Select playoff, each with four wins in four round robin games.

The Storm ’97 Selects earned the top spot with a 33-3 run difference, with the Storm ’98 Selects taking the second-seed with a difference of 31-6.

The Oregon Riptide earned the third-seed, with the Fleetwood Force ’97 placing fourth. Both teams were also 4-0 (win-loss).

The first two playoff rounds were played last night. The semifinals will take place today (Monday) at 10:30 a.m. at Softball City, with the championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Diamond #2.

Pre-tournament win for Venezuela

While four of the five national teams in the Women’s International division of the Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship were competing at the US World Cup in Oklahoma, Team Venezuela prepared for Tuesday’s opening day with a 7-1 victory over the Quebec Rebelles of the Women’s Elite group in an exhibition game Saturday night at Softball City.

Jayce Sojo hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give Venezuela an early lead. Leading 5-1 after three, Venezuela added three more in the fourth on a two-run doulbe from Maria Soto, who then scored on a sacrifice fly by Hernanza Ruiz.

Venezuela will play their first game of the tournament tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3:30 p.m. against Japan.

Kristen Skjonsby of the Estevan Elite lays down a bunt during a Showcase Select game Sunday at the 2013 Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship at Softball City. (Boaz Joseph/Surrey leader photo)

Player profile:

Fast facts:

Shaelyn Coolbaugh – Cranbrook Heat Shaelyn has played ball since the age of five when she first started t-ball.

From that point on it was her favourite sport no matter the season. Shaelyn was on the Zone 1 Summer Games Softball team in 2010 and was the star centerfielder for the under-14 Cranbrook Heat when they won the provincial 2011 C championships in their hometown.

She has been nicknamed ‘Crazy Legs’ for her bunting prowess and how fast she comes out of the batting box. Just this past year, Shaelyn has taken up catching for her team as well.

In her spare time, Shaelyn plays the piano, excels in the Mount Baker Concert Band with her trumpet, plays for the Mount Baker Wild Volleyball team and is always on the honour roll and power list at MBSS.

Did you know....? In fastpitch softball, the ball must cross the plate under the batter’s armpits and over the top of his/her knee for the pitch to be considered a strike by the umpire.

Did you know....? The Scotiabank Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship is split into six divisions (International Women’s, Women’s Elite, Futures (U19) Gold and Select, Showcase (16U) Gold and Select).

Did you know....? A softball pitch at the 1996 Olympics was clocked at 73.3 MPH. Did you know....? A fireman, Lewis Rober, played a very big role in developing the game.

He needed something to keep his Minneapolis firemen busy while waiting for fire calls, so he marked a field in a lot next to the fire station.