Abbey Fortin prides herself on contributing, both with her defence and her bat. After all, the centre-fielder bats fifth, right in the heart of the White Rock ’98 Renegades batting order.
But the 18-year-old found herself in a hitting slump with her team competing at the 2016 women’s Canadian fastpitch championships in Charlottetown, PEI.
“I have done better. I was in a bit of a hitting slump, but you have to go out there and work as hard as you can every time,” Fortin said.
Fortin did come through with an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the gold-medal game, a 4-3 win over the White Rock Renegades ’99 squad.
The championships finished on Aug. 14 and the Renegades went 10-1.
“An RBI is an RBI in a national final. I will take it,” she chuckled.
All that mattered was that the Renegades were wrapping up their minor careers on a winning note.
Fortin was one of two Langley players, along with Ainsley Guzzo, on the Renegades team.
Guzzo won national titles in 2012, 2014 and 2016 with the Renegades while Fortin was on the 2014 and 2016 squads.
“We did have a bit of a rough start to the season with all the grad events going on and what not,” Fortin said, “But our goal from the beginning of this season was that we were going to win nationals and we were going to finish off our minor careers with a medal at nationals.”
“Winning my third nationals meant I could retire from softball happy,” said Guzzo.
The 18-year-old graduated from Langley Secondary this past year and she hopes to continue playing at a higher level.
This was Fortin’s fourth year with the White Rock program and now she gets set for the next phase of her athletic career.
Fortin, who graduated from Walnut Grove Secondary in June, leaves for Long Island University Post in New York next week where she will suit up for the Pioneers softball squad.
Pioneers coach Jamie Apicella said Fortin will bring a power bat to the team’s lineup.
“She adds an athletic element to our team and will be a player who brings passion for the game and a work ethic that will be respected by her teammates,” he said on the Pioneers website.
Fortin said she chose the school for both its softball program, academic reputation, and the fact she would get to live in New York as she wanted to go away for university.
Growing up, Fortin played a handful of sports, but admits she comes from a softball family — her parents Brad and Carrie met in their 20s playing slo-pitch.
Fortin is the eldest of three and while her brother has hung up his bat and glove to focus on hockey, her sister Leah plays for the ’00 Renegades squad.
Fortin is also hoping to land a roster spot with the Canadian junior national team program for 2017. She attended a camp in June and will find out next month whether or not she made the cut to the next step of the selection process.
Forty to 50 players are expected to attend the next camp with 18 players ultimately making the final roster.
Playing for her country would be a dream come true, especially with last month’s announcement that women’s softball was returning to the Olympics at the 2020 Games.
“Team Canada has definitely been a goal of mine since I was young,” she said.
Fortin also said she plans on giving back to the sport through coaching.
