HBIC Summer Project: The Drive Of A Champion

Throughout the 2023 HBIC Summer Project, I've been showcasing the incredible achievements by women who played in the AAGPBL. Admittedly, it's hard to connect them to something relevant today considering that they made their marks on the sporting world some 80 years ago, but, by highlighting their hockey careers that played out in the shadow of those amazing baseball careers, it shows just how good these women were at their chosen sports as well as being overall incredible athletes. There are likely more women I could highlight in today's day and age who have that same drive to be champion in whatever sport they choose, but I'd be overlooking a key Canadian that needs some space on this blog. That's none other than the woman pictured above, and her name is Kate Psota.

Katherine Psota was born on April 30, 1986 in Burlington, Ontario where she grew up the watch of her parents, Ed and Monique, before younger brother Michael arrived on the scene. She took up tee-ball at the age of four, and the seed was planted for a long baseball career. She would often watch the Toronto Blue Jays play on television, wanting to be out on the field with them with her bat and glove. Clearly, baseball had a hold on young Kate.

Her love of the game carried her through Little League in Ontario. She was there for the founding of the Canada National Women's Baseball Team in 2003-04 where she met other women who shared her passion for the game. The opportunity to suit up for her country has taken her all over the map: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Australia, every corner of Canada and throughout the United States. She pitched and played the infield, primarily first base, while her bat continued to keep Canada in medal contention at every event.

The word "trailblazer" has been used when describing Psota, but I think term detracts from what she's doing because she's not only writing her own story, but she's encouraging so many other women to write their own as well. There's no doubt that Psota has done and is doing things that no one else has done, but her list of accolades pales in comparison to the impact she's had on the game. She is teaching, coaching, playing, and encouraging others to take up the game, to follow their dreams, to walk in her footsteps that began humbly in Burlington.

Psota was obsessed with the game as a kid, and she made a AAA boys team when she was nine years-old. By age 13, Psota was competing for Team Ontario on the national stage in Canada was she would become a nine-time national champion. At 16, she was named Ontario's Player of the Year, becoming the first woman to receive the award in its history. In 2004, Psota landed in Montreal at the age of 18 for the first-ever Baseball Canada senior women's national team camp after being invited as one of the top-40 women's players identified in Canada, and she blew away the competition to make the squad. She's been to World Cups, she's played competitively in Australia during the winters, she was part of the 2015 Canadian Pan-American Games team, and she's now coaching the current Canadian National Women's Team. In short, she's come full circle!

Perhaps one of the coolest things that really emphasizes the "full circle" idea was this snippet from the Toronto Star that reads,

"Several years ago, there was a young bat girl at one of their world championships in Edmonton who got to meet Psota and hang out a bit with one of the legends of Canadian women’s baseball.

"Today, she's on the team."

The young bat girl? That would be none other than Madison Willan of Edmonton who has become an integral part of Team Canada's baseball squad! How cool is that?

One thing I couldn't find on Kate Psota were career statistics. Baseball Reference's page for Kate Psota is literally empty and there are random Pointstreak pages available with some details, but there isn't a comprehensive total of her statistics from her appearance with Canada's National Team anywhere to be found. It seems, however, that her stats are going to be pretty impressive once you see the list of accolades Kate has piled up in her trophy case.

On March 12, 2019, her and teammate Ashley Stephenson hung up the cleats one last time as both women retired from playing baseball. Both have since moved into coaching, though, and Psota was on the bench when Canada battled their way to a berth in the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Final next summer! Could she add her first coaching medal to the hardware? We'll soon find out!

On The Ice

Psota was a very good hockey player with the Stoney Creek Sabres in the winter, and that success she saw in the OWHL allowed the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks to recruit her to join their squad in the OUA. While she arrived on campus in the fall of 2006 after the Hawks had defeated the Alberta Pandas 4-1 to win their first Golden Path Trophy in school history as the CIS National Champions, Psota was tenacious competitor who brought her best when the team needed her most.

In 125 OUA games, Psota scored 55 points for the Golden Hawks, but it was the playoffs where she most often shone. In 32 OUA playoff games, she recorded 24 points, helping the Golden Hawks to five-straight OUA titles and five-straight appearances at Nationals. On the national stage, she helped the Golden Hawks claim silver medals in 2006, 2008, and 2009 while capturing a bronze medal in 2010. The only losses suffered by Laurier at Nationals came at the hands of Alberta and McGill during Psota's time at the school. In total, the Golden Hawks lost just 19 non-exhibition games, including playoffs and tournaments, during her five-year run with the program!

The left-winger used all five years of eligibility as she graduated from Laurier in 2010 with her Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and Geography before heading to Queen's University where she earned another Arts Degree in Education! Clearly, Psota was a force on the ice and a smart cookie in the classroom as her time at university certainly paid off with her accolades on the ice and in her studies!

The Accolades

This is where Kate Psota shows off her trophy case because, in 2008, Kate was named as the Jimmy Rattlesnake Award winner by Baseball Canada for her on-field accomplishments, team spirit, and leadership, and was twice named Canada Baseball National MVP in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. She was part of six Canadian WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup medals - two silver medals and four bronze medals - and was named as a World Cup All-Star team member at first base four times that includes in 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018. She's a Pan Am Games silver medalist with Canada in 2015, and Psota is one of two Canadians – Ashley Stephenson being the other – to have competed in each iteration of the eight IBAF Women's Baseball World Cup tournaments to date.

Add in her hockey accolades, and it's pretty clear that she's one heckuvan athlete. In fact, she was recognized for her athletic accomplishments this past June when she was inducted into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame! For a woman who isn't close to closing the book on her sporting achievements, what else might she have in store for Canadian baseball fans? My hopes is she'll be recognized by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame at some point, and possibly by a professional ball team because she's a fantastic coach as well. For now, she'll focus on coaching the Canadian women for as long as she can while spending rare off-days at the family cottage.

When asked about her time playing for Canada, Psota stated, "I am proud to have played along side so many outstanding ball players and individuals over the course of my career. I am very thankful to all the coaching and support staff for their time dedication to the program over the years as well as my family and friends for their continued support."

The door's not closed for more baseball accolades for Kate Psota, and the country will be cheering her and Team Canada on next summer when they compete in the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Final! Kate Psota is a living legend in the baseball world as it currently stands, but she still has chapters to write. And, as it turns out, she was pretty good with a hockey stick too!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!