Abbotsford’s pink-haired pitching phenom Raine Padgham continues to turn heads with her athletic ability, and the Abbotsford Senior Secondary School student recently cracked the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2020 Most Influential Canadians in Baseball list.
CBN’s list, which was been posted annually since 2007, ranks Canadians and their importance in the sport for the country.
Penned by the CBN’s editor-in-chief Bob Elliott, Maple Ridge native and recent baseball hall-of-fame inductee Larry Walker was number one on the list. He was followed by Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos and Edward Rogers, the chair of Rogers Communications.
Padgham was ranked 108th on the list of 112 personalities. She is the youngest person to ever make it on the list.
Elliott noted her headline-making workout last fall that saw her throw a pitch clocked at 83 miles per hour. He also pointed out her achievements over the past few years, including being invited to the Team Canada women’s national team’s girls development camp, her play at the Girls Breakthrough Series in Florida and her making the Fraser Valley Cardinals boys team.
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The full write-up can be found at canadianbaseballnetwork.com.
She recently completed participating in virtual training with the MLB and USA Baseball’s Dream Series. The invite-only event focuses on the dynamics of pitching and catching for a group of elite high school athletes. Notable guests participating in the 2021 Dream Series included: CC Sabathia, Devin Williams, Marcus Stroman, Touki Toussaint, Jason Heyward, LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Scioscia, Ron Washington, Jerry Manuel and several others.
The Dream Series ran virtually from Jan. 15 to 18.
Padgham plans to suit up for the Cardinals in 2021, providing baseball is allowed to proceed, and is expected to play pitcher, second base, outfield and possibly shortstop.
For more on Padgham, visit instagram.com/rainepadgham.
