Larissa Franklin of Maple Ridge has been selected for the Canadian women’s softball team that will compete at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Softball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced the roster on Wednesday.
Franklin, 25, is an outfielder, one of four on the team.
She first played for Canada in 2011 at the Junior World Championships, on a team that finished fifth.
Her first action with the senior team was in 2013 in the World Cup of Softball and the Pan American championships.
At the 2014 World Championships, Franklin had the second-best batting average (.409) on Team Canada.
She also played in the NCAA with Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne and set a new school record in stolen bases with 71 and hits with 207 before transferring to Western Kentucky University.
Women’s softball at Lima 2019 will start Aug. 4 and take place on days 10 to 15 of the Games in Lima, Peru.
Softball at Lima 2019 has no direct impact on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but is a tune-up in preparation for the WBSC.
The WBSC Americas Softball Qualifier is scheduled to take place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 1 in Surrey.
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The Canadian women’s softball team won gold at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and has a pair of bronze medals at the 2016 and 2018 WBSC World Championships.
The team is currently competing as the Canadian Wild of Southern Illinois in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League.
Lima 2019, which will run from July 26 to Aug. 11, will bring together approximately 6,700 athletes from 41 nations of the Americas and feature 62 disciplines in 39 sports.
It will be the largest sporting event ever held in Peru.
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Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the COC’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Federations in late June 2019.
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