Going to bat for Manitoba

If you’ve been wondering what to fill your time with this upcoming weekend, Baseball Manitoba has got you covered.

From July 9-12, eight teams from across Canada will gather at Optimist Park to host Baseball Canada’s women’s national championships. Teams from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba will be competing for the gold medal.

Baseball Manitoba describes this tournament as “bringing together the nation’s best female players for four days of elite competition.”

And Team Manitoba’s women’s head coach Kevin Booker is excited about the highly skilled players travelling to Winnipeg for this annual event.

“You’re going to see some great young players from a lot of provinces. It’ll be very entertaining baseball,” he said.

Booker, a Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, has dabbled both on and off the pitch, bringing his expertise back to instill in the the next generation of players. After taking 20 years off to prioritize sports with his daughters, Booker returned to Baseball Manitoba in 2018 and has been an important presence ever since.

The Manitoba squad has quite a mix of players from, with ages ranging from 16-27.

“We’re carrying a large roster for this tournament and we’ve got a few coming out of retirement,” Booker said.

Some of the players, such as 27-year-old short stop/pitcher Katie Heppner, are dusting off their bats to return to the pitch. The Winkler-born athlete will be wearing two hats in this tournament — as both a coach and a player, as is Amber Baker.

“We’ve got a nice group of women here that are going to be coaches in the future,” Booker said, with some players already earning that title. “They’re going to help move the program forward in the upcoming years.”

The youngest players — Josie Miller and Gemma Strutynski — are coming in to bring it their all and learn from the older veterans of the team.

Strutynski is no stranger to competitive ball, being one of five Manitoba players who competed at the 2025 Canada Games last year in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Much like the rest of the team, Strutynski is a versatile player that is not limited to one position — listed as both a pitcher and third baseman.

When it comes to integrating the range of experienced players on the team, Booker explained it as a seamless process.

“This crew, they look out for each other. The older ones help the younger ones and it’s a really good mix.”

“This crew, they look out for each other. The older ones help the younger ones and it’s a really good mix,” Booker said.

“Everybody’s trying to help each other get better and that’s what I love about this.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The tournament works in segments, with each team allotted four round-robin games until it trickles down to finals. Booker’s plan for his team is to start off strong and continue that streak until the end.

“I know at the beginning of tournaments players can get amped up and try to do too much. Our goal is to just stay calm, make our routine plays, and play like I know they can play,” Booker said.

Despite some injuries throughout the team, Booker is optimistic that his players will perform to the best of their ability with the weekend being filled with high-quality baseball.

“Hoping the weather co-operates and we’ll have a great weekend,” he added.

sports@freepress.mb.ca