Only a few months after donning the Team Canada jersey and bringing home silver from the U18 Women's Pan Am Championship, two Maple Ridge softball players will now once again get to wear the Maple Leaf, but on the world stage this time.
Cece Brown and Rylee Ruppel were both brought onto Team Canada for the upcoming 2024 WBSC U18 Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage.
This is one of three qualifying group stages that will help determine which teams advance to the 2025 World Cup Finals, which are set to take place in Texas.
Brown and Ruppel are two of the eight players returning from the Pan Am Championship team, with head coach Keith Mackintosh excited to see his U18 Women's team represent Canada on the world stage.
"Choosing the final roster from such exceptional talent was a challenging task, but we are confident that the 16 athletes selected have the skills to build a strong team," said Mackintosh.
Team Canada is part of Group Stage C and will be going up against teams from Australia, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, and the number-one-ranked United States.
Canada's opening match will be against Mexico on Aug. 29, with the tournament wrapping up on Sept. 2.
The top two teams from this Group Stage qualify for the World Cup Finals, joining Japan, China, Chinese Tapei, and Czechia, who have all qualified for the finals through earlier Group Stages.
