Simon Fraser University freshmen Taylor Lundrigan, Taylor Gillis and Katherine Murnaghan and incoming recruit Samantha Ruffet were among 28 players invited to participate in the 2015 Canada junior national softball team selection camp.
Infielder Lundrigan, outfielder Gillis and catcher Murnaghan attended a Western Canada identification camp in late May, earning an invitation to the final selection camp, beginning June 27 in Cloverdale.
Ruffet, a catcher from Brampton, Ont., who will be joining the Clan this fall, also earned an invitation to the final camp.
The final roster will be named following the selection camp and the team will compete in the Futures Gold division of the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship from July 6 to 12 in Surrey.
Players will then return home before regrouping for a training camp from July 30 to Aug. 5 in Brampton prior to travelling to Oklahoma to compete at the Junior Women’s World Championship, which is scheduled to take place from Aug. 9 to 15.
Lundrigan was second on the team in batting, with a .327 average and led the Clan with 48 hits. She was also second with four homeruns in 48 games this season. Lundrigan finished two hits short of the Clan freshman record of 50 hits set by Angela Lichty in 1999.
Gillis broke the freshmen record for at bats in a season, with 155 plate appearances this year. She had 38 hits, two homeruns and 12 RBIs, while batting .245.
Murnaghan split time as catcher for the Clan, appearing in 28 games. She had seven hits and five RBIs in 33 at-bats.
Ruffett is captain of the Brampton Blazers and led the team to the 2014 provincial championship for the second year in a row, leading the team in home runs. She attends St. Roch Catholic Secondary School, where she is an honour roll student and captain of the volleyball team.
After holding three regional identification camps in Cloverdale and Saskatoon in May and in Brampton earlier this month, the junior women’s national team coaching staff extended invitations to the 28 athletes to compete for a spot on the 2015 Canadian team.
Half of the final 28 athletes invited to the final camp hail from British Columbia. Ontario had five invitees.
