Team Canada takes the field at Softball World Cup in Sask.

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 3:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The Canadian men's softball squad made its debut astatine the 2025 Men's Softball World Cup with a nonaccomplishment against New Zealand connected Tuesday, opening the week-long tourney successful Prince Albert, Sask.

The planetary tournament, hosted by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, is held each 3 years. The past lawsuit was successful Auckland, New Zealand, successful 2022.

The Canadian squad volition play Venezuela connected Wednesday night, and look disconnected against Argentina, the world's No. 1-ranked team, connected Thursday.

The playoff circular volition statesman connected July 11 and the golden medal lucifer volition beryllium played connected July 13 successful Prince Albert.

"I deliberation it's conscionable a 1 crippled astatine a clip benignant of thing," said Team Canada pitcher Devon McCullough connected Canada's opening loss. "We conscionable gotta triumph each crippled now. So it's conscionable 1 crippled astatine a time, and thin connected each other, and hopefully triumph this 1 contiguous and determination connected Thursday."

McCullough, who lives successful Saskatoon, has played connected the Canadian squad since 2014. He was connected the squad that won golden successful the 2015 World Championships successful Saskatoon. Canada finished 2nd successful New Zealand successful 2022 aft falling successful the golden medal crippled 5-2 to Australia.

"We have, I think, 1 of the champion hitting lineups successful the satellite close now. We've conscionable got to amusement it now. And the pitchers, we've got to support runs disconnected the board," helium said.

Max Major, 1 of Team Canada's youngest players, made his debut successful the crippled against New Zealand. He said helium was inactive assured his squad could marque it to the finals.

"It's a precise chill acquisition for sure. I spot tons of radical astir the ballpark that I've seen before. So it was nerve-racking but comforting astatine the aforesaid time," helium said of his archetypal game.

For section organizers, the tourney is the culmination of years of enactment and anticipation.

"We really underwent a $1.8-million renovation to enactment 2 satellite people facilities present successful Prince Albert," said tourney co-chair Ian Litzenberger. "We person men's teams, ladies teams, rec teams. It's a precise humanities athletics for our assemblage and portion arsenic a whole.

"We person a 300-person service of volunteers that are each excited to big and showcase our assemblage and the large athletics of softball."

Canada is 1 of 8 teams competing this year. It shares Group A with Argentina, Venezuela and New Zealand. Group B is comprised of Australia, the Dominican Republic, Japan and the United States.