It’s a passing of the torch, or a metaphorical tossing of the ball from a veteran glove to a rookie glove, to use more of a diamond analogy.
Third-baseman Emma Entzminger, softball bronze medallist with sa国际传媒 at the Tokyo Olympics, coaches rising Grade 12 pitching sensation Ruby Anderson in the Lambrick Park Secondary baseball/softball academy. Mentor and student — Entzminger, 27, and Anderson, 18, — have both been selected for the Canadian team announced Thursday to play in the women’s sa国际传媒 Cup from July 7-16 at Softball City in Surrey.
“Half of our Olympic team is returning, while the next generation is forming, and the veterans want the younger players to build on the legacy we created with our Olympic medal,” said Entzminger.
“This is a great opportunity for athletes like Ruby [Anderson].”
Anderson is doing her part to follow in Entzminger’s cleat steps. While Entzminger came out of Lambrick Park to star in NCAA Div. 1 at San Jose State, Anderson is headed in the fall to NCAA Div. 1 at Fresno State, and has also followed her mentor onto the national team.
Anderson pitched the Langford Lightning to the 2022 U-17 national championship in Montreal by throwing three no-hitters to be named Canadian tournament MVP. She made her senior national team debut last year also.
Entzminger, meanwhile, has been a crucial cog of the Canadian infield for several years, winning silver at the 2019 Lima Pan Am Games, before reaching the podium two years ago in the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games and delivering the key hit in the bronze-medal game against Mexico.
Entzminger was also selected for the Canadian team announced Thursday for the 2023 Pan Am Games this fall in Santiago, Chile, while Anderson will not make that trip.
It’s getting busy again on the diamond after some time off for the veterans following Tokyo.
“When you are training for the Olympics there is no time for anything else. But post-Tokyo we’ve had some time to explore some of our other passions and career paths,” said Entzminger, who used the time to prepare for her firefighter’s certificate.
“You can’t play forever,” she said.
Just how long that will be depends on many factors.
Softball and baseball were left off the list of sports for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics because the French have little cultural connection to bat-and-ball sports. There are high hopes of softball and baseball returning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the final decision coming this fall. Los Angeles 2028 would be right in Anderson’s prime while Entzminger would be 32.
“It’s definitely on my mind, and I would love to do it, but I will take it year by year,” said Entzminger.
The other big event this summer is the qualifying tournament in Italy for the 2024 World Cup, which is also in Italy.
Meanwhile, the sa国际传媒 Cup in Surrey features many of the top national teams in the world and will be a good tune-up. sa国际传媒 players named to the Canadian team include Entzminger and Anderson from the Island, Sara Groenewegen, Grace Messmer, Madelyn McKinnon and Kianna Jones from Surrey, Larissa Franklin of Maple Ridge, Kelsey Harshman of Delta, Callum Pilgrim of Abbotsford and Morgan Reimer of Langley.
