Briercrest College and Seminary announces that they will field a women’s softball team next fall.

The team will compete in the Western Collegiate Softball Association (WCSA) beginning August 2014. The WCSA includes teams from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, University of Calgary, SAIT Polytechnic, University of Lethbridge and Mount Royal University.

The 2014 schedule will also include exhibition games against U.S. college teams as well as the potential to play at the 2014 Canadian Collegiate Softball Championship in Calgary.

Briercrest Athletic Director Nigel Mullan is excited for the opportunities that this brings.

“We are very excited to add softball to our department this coming fall,” Mullan said. “We believe this is very important step for our department.  It is a great first step in building opportunities for our students to be involved with sports outside our more traditional options, this is especially important for our female students. We want to continue building off the momentum that our current sports are providing and further strengthen athletics at Briercrest.  This will be the first of hopefully many additions to our athletic department in the future and we believe the WCSA will be a great partner in this opportunity.”

WCSA President Randy Plishka is pleased to have Briercrest join the league this fall.

“The WCSA is excited to have Briercrest College and Seminary join our league for the 2014 season,” Plishka said. “Briercrest has shown strong support for their teams competing in the ACAC, and I'm sure that support will continue with their fastball program and the WCSA. I believe that Briercrest will quickly become competitive with the top teams in the league, and I'm sure a friendly rivalry between them and the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan will soon develop.  I'm looking forward to seeing Briercrest College on the diamond next fall.”

Mullan will begin the search for a part-time head coach immediately.

“We are looking for a person who has the passion for the sport, and who wants to invest in both the physical and spiritual well-being of our athletes.”

Mullan feels that Briercrest can fit a niche for softball in Canada.

“There is untapped potential for softball student-athletes in western Canada, as outside of the WCSA there is only one college in Manitoba and three in BC that have teams,” Mullan explained. “In particular, we can fill a need as the only Christian post-secondary institution with a softball team in Canada.”

While the search for the coach is now underway, athletes are encouraged to fill out the Athletic Recruitment Form.

Any additional questions about the softball program can be directed to Briercrest Athletic Director Nigel Mullan (nmullan@briercrest.ca).

To learn more about the WCSA the website can be found here.