It’s a big moment in the baseball world as 19-year-old Surrey resident Claire Eccles becomes the first woman to sign with the West Coast Baseball League.
The left-handed pitcher plays for the UBC Thunderbirds.
She is also one of the top pitcher’s for the Baseball Canada Women’s National Team. Eccles represented Canada at the 2016 Women’s Baseball World Cup in South Korea.
She will join the Victoria Harbourcats for the 2017 season.
Honoured to be getting the chance to play with the @HarbourCats this summer. Exciting day for myself and women in baseball
— claire eccles (@claireeccles4) May 16, 2017
“We are excited to add Claire to the HarbourCats, and can’t wait to see her getting a chance to throw for us and compete for innings out of the bullpen,” said Brad Norris-Jones, General Manager of the HarbourCats. “Claire has competed at and been successful at many levels of the game, playing against both women and men, and we think her poise on the mound and experience internationally will give her a chance to get the outs we need.”
RELATED: Victoria Named The Best Place In Canada To Be A Woman
Claire Eccles will be a part of the team throughout the season but will still be a part of Team Canada, which will also take up some of her time.
The 2017 WCL season will kick off on June 1st. Their home opener will take place at Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park on June 5th against the Wenatchee Applesox.
