Westmanites head to women’s baseball nationals

Ally Neufeld is heading back to Baseball Canada nationals for the fourth straight summer, but this time she’s back in familiar colours.

The Boissevain native was disappointed Manitoba didn’t have a team in the women’s championship in Quebec City last year. Still, she found a way to compete by joining Team Nova Scotia.

Since the tournament is in Winnipeg — running today through Sunday — it was easier to put a squad together and return to the national stage.

“It’s so exciting, especially not having a team last year,” said Neufeld, who spent May to August 2025 playing in a women’s baseball league in Quebec.

Neufeld’s one of four Westman players on the Manitoba squad, including Strathclair’s Amber Baker and Brandon’s Caitlan Nickel and Jasmine Horwood.

She grew up playing softball in the Westman Magic AAA system, and didn’t add baseball to her repertoire until 2023, when she read about a girls’ baseball camp and signed up.

The pitcher/outfielder took to it quickly and realized much of what she learned in the circle translates on the mound.

“Being the centre of the whole game,” Neufeld said. “You’re up there in the middle of everything, you’re in every play, so being familiar with that feeling has helped a lot.”

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Nickel has been playing for provincial teams for five years now, attending one or sometimes two championships each summer.

This one feels different.

“The past years I haven’t had much family able to come and support but I have lots of family in Winnipeg, so I think there will be quite a few fans coming out to watch this year,” Nickel said.

“I’m pretty excited I get to play for all my family.”

The outfielder/pitcher has a cannon for an arm, evidenced by her near-podium finish in the javelin throw at high school track and field provincials a month ago.

She’ll likely join Neufeld in the outfield this weekend, and then again on August long weekend at the Baseball Canada 19U nationals in Saskatoon.

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The chance to compete at home drew Horwood back after six years off baseball. The hard-hitting third baseman and catcher played for the Crocus Plainsmen high school baseball team, while also playing Magic softball.

She competed on the national stage in both sports in the summer of 2019 at age 15. After that, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and she drifted towards basketball as her primary sport, but she returned to the diamond as a U15 A and U13 AA softball coach, and now as a player.

“It feels like riding a bike, but it’s a lot harder on my body to keep up with it,” Horwood said.

“Getting back into the training and the demand of training to play at such a high level and balancing it with work (is tough).”

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Baker is one of the longest-tenured players on the team, having represented Manitoba since she was 12.

While girls typically play softball, she would’ve had to travel 40 minutes from Strathclair to find a team, so she stuck to baseball and loved it from the start.

The left-handed pitcher and first baseman played for the Manitoba 14U girls’ team at a Western Canadian championship at age 12.

Now 25, she still loves it and stays involved for one big reason.

“Just to get more girls into it,” Baker said.

“Girls are finally starting to see that they can go places with baseball. Even in my hometown, there’s more girls playing baseball and trying to play softball, doing both rather than just the softball route.”

She won a bronze medal with Manitoba at the 12U baseball nationals in Ottawa and wants to see her team break through again.

As a rare lefty pitcher — and one without a pitch count thanks to being over 21 — she expected to throw a fair bit. However, the team’s other first baseman tore her ACL, likely leaving Baker at first.

Horwood knows Baker will be a strong asset wherever she plays.

“She is a very strong and good leader who can lead by example with her own performance but also lead the girls on the bench throughout the game,” Horwood said.

“She’s somebody you can look up to for a positive mindset and that go-getter attitude but also back up her mentality with the way she plays.”

The good news is Manitoba’s coaching staff prepared for the worst when selecting the team. Throughout four indoor tryouts, and one outdoor session in May, they prioritized players with pitching experience.

All but a few of them are listed as pitchers, including all four Westmanites.

Manitoba opens the tournament against British Columbia today at noon, then takes on Saskatchewan at 7 p.m.

It faces Quebec 2 on Friday at 6 p.m., and Ontario 2 on Saturday at noon to round out pool play.

The teams play the four teams in the other pool, instead of the other three in their own pool.

The two pool winners earn byes to Sunday’s semifinals, with second and third facing off in the quarters on Saturday.

The gold-medal game is on Sunday at 7 p.m.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com