Team Sask. ready to chase gold as Saskatoon hosts 19U Women’s Baseball Nationals

When Victoria Bateman brings her bat and cleats to the ballpark on Thursday night, it won’t be for a run-of-the-mill game at Cairns Field.

Instead, the 18-year-old infielder will be donning the green and yellow of her home province to take on the top teenage baseball players from across Canada.

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“Just getting geared up for a game against Manitoba,” Bateman said. “Just getting all things in gear and ready to go.”

Bateman, from Regina, is one of 17 players who will represent Saskatchewan this week in Saskatoon at the 2026 19U Women’s Baseball National Championships.

Teams from seven provinces will square off in the four-day tournament at Cairns Field and Leakos Field starting on Thursday, to crown a Canadian championship team.

Taylor Schueller patrols the middle infield alongside Bateman on Team Saskatchewan. She said the intensity at practice has been ramping up ahead of the tournament.

“We’ve been putting in a lot of effort,” Schueller said. “Definitely pumping it up a little bit than our regular training, so it’s been good.”

Planning for the tournament has started in October when Saskatoon was announced as the host site for the 2026 and 2027 events.

Tournament chair Corey Lenius said the teams have arrived, umpires are in place, fields are ready and volunteers are assembled to get the week underway for the roughly 150 athletes competing and the spectators taking in the action.

“We’re really just getting the last-minute touches on everything and we’re ready to go here,” Lenius said.

“The weather is co-operating, and we’re looking forward to a really exciting, hot weekend of baseball.”

Last year, in Calgary, Quebec defeated Ontario in a 14-2 final to capture the national gold medal, while Saskatchewan returned home with a bronze after a 16-11 win against British Columbia.

Saskatchewan’s players will be eager to upgrade the colour of their medals on their home diamond in Saskatoon, though Lenius said the level of competition is expected to be even higher this time around.

“It’s the highest caliber of 19U women’s baseball that you’re going to see in Canada,” Lenius said. “The atmosphere is great. The girls are really excited. The energy is huge. We really want to promote girls baseball in this province.”

This is the third year in a row Saskatoon has hosted a major Baseball Canada event, after serving as the host site for 16U women’s nationals in 2024 and last year’s 14U Western Canada tournament.

Team Saskatchewan head coach Tony Black is confident women’s baseball will get a big boost this week, especially if Saskatchewan is able to make a deep run.

“I think it’s going to be huge for the exposure,” Black said.

“I know a few years ago we had 16U (nationals) here and there was a lot of talk about that. We’re seeing more players coming into the program and playing girls baseball.”

Black said the bulk of the work has been done over the off-season for the 19U group, with the pieces in place to become a championship team if their game rounds out over the week.

“They just need to go out from the coaching staff, play the way they’re able to play, and they’ll do fine,” Black said. “They’ll be one of the top contenders in the tournament.”

The opportunity to chase a national championship in front of friends and family is something players like Schueller aren’t wanting to waste this week, with supporters expected to drive from across the province for Saskatchewan’s games.

“It’s definitely super exciting,” Schueller said.

As for what Team Saskatchewan will need to do to separate themselves from teams like Manitoba, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, Black said simply having a hot bat or strong pitching won’t be enough.

“They just need to bring the whole game to the field,” Black said.

“Defensively, offensively, the pitching. They just need to work it all together at once and just make it work. We got to score the runs. We got to get the outs. We got to make the plays.”

From larger centres such as Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert to small towns like Clavet and Arcola, communities across Saskatchewan are represented on this year’s 19U roster.

Bateman believes the team’s biggest strength lies in the trust they have with each other, and the shared connection of growing up on diamonds across the province.

“I think we’re a really close-knit team and we all get along really well,” Bateman said. “We’re able to pick each other up when things don’t go our way.”

Sisters Brenna (left) and Braidy Birdsall will be competing together for just the second time in their baseball careers for Team Saskatchewan at the 2026 19U Women’s Baseball National Championships. (Scott Roblin/650 CKOM)

Birdsall sisters ready to bash the ball together

Emotions are running high in the Birdsall household this week, with sisters Braidy and Brenna counting down the hours until they hit the field together.

“There’s a lot of tears,” Braidy said. “They’re very excited. They’re always trying to get pictures with us both in the shot, because I usually play third and she’s in (left field).”

It’s a partnership which has only happened one other time, when the duo suited up together at the senior women’s level last year.

“It’s a ton of fun,” Brenna said. “It’s great.”

Brenna, 17, has followed in her older sister’s footsteps through the Baseball Sask program, and has now become one of the province’s top threats in the outfield.

According Braidy, Brenna has also made her own game better.

“She keeps me loose,” Braidy said. “We’re excited to play on the diamond, and we keep it fun. It’s competitive out here, so it’s just nice to have a friendly face pushing me in a positive way.

It’s a sibling duo Black has rarely seen over his coaching career, especially with both sisters pushing each other the way the Birdsalls have.

“That’s a big opportunity for both of them, because you don’t see that very often,” Black said.

“Both of them have worked very hard. They’ve improved very well with their skills and their development in the team. I think the opportunity for them to play together, it’s huge.”

Set to compete in her final event at the 19U level, Braidy will be relied on as one of Saskatchewan’s most dynamic players, not only for her ability to make contact at the plate, but as a utility threat in the field and on the mound as a pitcher.

“Braidy is a very intense player,” Black said. “She’s all in, and when she hits the field, you’ll see that. She’s committed to play and she’s going to give it her all on the field.”

Braidy was selected 85th overall in the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League Draft by the Boston Hunters in December, and is set to embark on her professional career in the coming months.

While that life-changing opportunity is quickly approaching at Boston training camp, the elder Birdsall has kept her eye on the prize this week at nationals.

“Nothing changes,” Braidy said. “The grind is still the same. I’m still training the exact same. I’m just happy to be here in my home town.”

The siblings have envisioned what it would be like to stand arm-in-arm at the end of the weekend, surrounded by Saskatchewan flags and family members, with medals hanging around their necks.

According to Brenna, it will be a long road to get to that moment, but it’s something she believes is within reach.

“I think it would be really big, especially in the home town in front of everybody,” Brenna said. “We are a great team together. We work together really well, and I think we can do it.”

Though the pair might not share too many throwing plays together in the field, their bond has given them a connection which Braidy said is unlike much of their competition this week in Saskatoon.

“I hope we prove ourselves together as a little duo here,” Braidy said.

The tournament gets underway at 9 a.m. on Thursday at Cairns Field, with a game between Quebec and Ontario in a rematch of last year’s gold-medal game.

Opening ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m., which will be followed by the marquee matchup between Saskatchewan and Manitoba at 7 p.m.