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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 25 | Friday, August 21, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Competing with the boys Oakville teen sixth girl to play in Junior League World Series feel boys will be more competition," says Baxter, who also played boys' hockey in the Minor Oaks Beaver Sports Editor Hockey Association for years before recently switching to the Oakville Hornets girls' program. "And I prefer playing baseball." unior League World Series organizer She certainly holds her own. At the recent Greg Bzura has a special appreciation for how difficult it can be for girls to national championships in Lethbridge, Alta., where the Whitecaps won seven of eight games play baseball against boys. "I've got a high school-aged grand- to qualify for the World Series, Baxter hit .286 with seven runs scored, four daughter who is very athletic, runs batted in, four steals and and I saw what experiences she a team-high five walks. Her onwent through. She was on an allbase percentage (.500) ranked star team every year she played, sixth on Oakville's 13-player playing with boys all the way roster, and she also played errorthrough," says Bzura, who foundfree defence. ed the annual Little League interThough the Whitecaps lost national 14-under championship their first three games at the 34 years ago in Taylor, Mi. World Series, Baxter contin"She was a pitcher and an inued to contribute. She walked fielder. When she struck kids out, twice and scored a run in I felt sorry for the boys." Oakville's second game MonHowever, Bzura quickly conday against the Czech Repubcedes that his own granddaughlic, and she recorded one of ter wasn't capable of playing at the John Sweeney the Whitecaps' two extra-base Little League World Series level. Oakville Little League president hits -- a double -- Wednesday Eventually, the pitchers throw the versus Panama. ball too fast, the hitters hit the ball "I just think she's an underestimated player. too hard. It takes a "special", as he puts it, female to compete internationally in Little League base- People look at her because she's a female and think she won't be as strong as they are, but it's ball, particularly at the older ages. Oakville's Emily Baxter is one of those rare the exact opposite," Oakville Little League presispecial players. The 15-year-old Holy Trinity dent John Sweeney says. "She's earned the right to be there. She had high school student became just the sixth female in Junior League World Series history to to go through the whole tryout process. She's participate in the tournament when she suited earned it, based on skills and abilities." Baxter's success competing with and against up for the Oakville Whitecaps Sunday against Puerto Rico's Villa Blanca Boys and Girls Base- teenaged boys has also been helped by the support of her teammates, according to her coach, ball League. Baxter, who has been in the Whitecaps all- Nick Rigato. "It's almost as if they don't see her as a girl. star program since she was nine, plays second base, catcher and left field. She occasionally even They see Emily as a teammate, and I don't think there are any different expectations," says Rigato. pitches. "I think the fact that she's allowed to perform "I just want to play the highest caliber, and I by Jon Kuiperij J People... think she won't be as strong as they are, but it's the exact opposite. Emily Baxter warms up in the bullpen during the Oakville Whitecaps' game against Puerto Rico Sunday at the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Mi. | photo courtesy of Dave Gorgon -- Junior League World Series communications director and play as one of the regular players makes it easy for her. She's an extremely athletic girl... and the one thing about Emily is that everything that is expected of any player at this level, she does." Baxter admits that she's noticed it is becoming more difficult to keep up. "The guys, once they hit puberty, they get stronger and faster," she says. Eventually, she might switch to girls' softball -- which she got a taste of this past spring at Holy Trinity, when she helped the Titans to the Halton championship -- in hopes of landing a university scholarship. She's also intrigued by the possibility of someday representing Canada in international women's baseball, a sport which made its Pan American Games debut last month in Ajax. But for now, Baxter's happy playing baseball with the boys. "I feel like I'm representing the girls who want to play baseball with the guys," she says. "And trying to be a role model to the younger girls who want to do it." Bantam provincial title extra sweet for Hawks Troy Cordingley has won two National Lacrosse League championships as a player and two more as a head coach. So you might think guiding the Oakville Hawks to a provincial bantam box lacrosse title Sunday wouldn't rank too highly on the local resident's personal highlight reel. Think again. "I'm still celebrating," Cordingley, who has cocoached the Hawks' core group with Bob Sykes for the past eight years, said Tuesday afternoon. "I've been a very fortunate person to have won and to be able to coach where I coach during the winter. But this is the one I wanted so bad, I guess because of the relationships I have with these kids," he said, his voice beginning to crack. "It tugged on heart strings. It was really cool." The bantam A Hawks locked up their first Ontario title, and the Oakville Minor Lacrosse Association's second in two years, with a decisive 5-1 victory over the Whitby Warriors at Oakville's Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC). The game was sandwiched between two other provincial finals involving Hawks see OMLA on p.26