The Victoria HarbourCats have signed the first female baseball player in West Coast League History.
The Victoria HarbourCats have made history.
The team announced on Tuesday the signing of 19-year-old Claire Eccles, who will become the first female player to ever play in the West Coast League.
HarbourCats GM Brad Norris Jones says Eccles, a left handed pitcher, has earned the opportunity.
“Right away when I met Claire I knew it would work,” said Jones. “Her scouting reports came back strong and we do that all year long with every player. She can compete at this level.”
Eccles, a UBC sophomore, is a star with Baseball Canada's women's team which won a silver medal in September in South Korea.
“I’m not just thinking of myself, I’m thinking about the bigger picture,” said Eccles. “There’s a lot of young girls out there that want to play ball and hopefully this is chance for more women to play in baseball.”
The West Coast League is a summertime developmental league for collegiate baseball players and has existed since 2005.
Eccles will join the team June 6th.
With files from CFAX Sports Director Kyle Reynolds