SURREY, British Columbia – The 2017 NJCAA Softball National Team is currently north of the border to compete in the 2017 Canada Cup International Softball Championship.
The tournament in Surrey, British Columbia, concludes on Monday.
An Olympic tune-up tournament, the Canada Cup was first held in 1993, ahead of softball’s introduction into the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The tournament was known as the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship from 2011-2015.
Playing in the International Division, the NJCAA team is designated in Pool A with Japan, Mexico and the Quebec Rebelles.
The International Division also features teams from Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Pakistan, Philippines and Puerto Rico.
The NJCAA squad consists of four players off 2017 national title teams and 11 All-Americans –four being either a pitcher or player of the year.
LSU Eunice infielder Rebecca Skains earned back-to-back NJCAA Division II All-American honors.
Skains was the championship tournament MVP twice as she helped lead the Lady Bengals to consecutive national championships.
Skains will play for the Southeastern Louisiana University Lady Lions this fall.
Skains finished the season with a .419 batting average including 80 hits, 18 home runs, 74 RBI, 65 runs scored, 25 walks and a program record 27 doubles.
In the Division II national tournament, Skains finished 8-for-15 with eight runs scored, nine RBI and six home runs – two in the title game against Jones County Junior College,
As a freshman, Skains finished 103-of-216 hitting with 82 runs scored and 83 RBI, 10 walks, 22 doubles along with a school record 103 hits and 25 home runs.
Skains finished the 2016 season third in the nation in home runs 25 and sixth in the nation in RBI.
Skains is the fifth LSUE player to play for the NJCAA team following infielder Brooklyn Clark (2014), outfielder Codi Covington (2015) along with pitchers Raven Cole (2015) and Destin Vicknair (2015).
This year’s national squad is also highlighted by Division I Player of the Year Brynn Minor of Butler (KS) and teammate Division I Pitcher of the Year Regan Mergele.
Division II Player of the Year Kelly Byrd of Jones County (MS) and Division III Pitcher of the Year Kelsie Packard of Rock Valley (IL) will add depth in the pitching rotation.
NJCAA 3, Quebec 1
NJCAA began the tournament with a 3-1 pool play victory over the Quebec Rebelles.
Regan Mergele (Butler CC) picked up the complete game victory surrendering one earned run on six hits.
The team was led offensively by Taylor Beshears (Wallace-Hantsville) and Kelly Byrd (Jones County) who each garnered two hits and a RBI.
Skains went 0-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch in her first outing.
NJCAA 7, Juniors 2
The NJCAA team beating Team Canada Juniors 9-2 in 5 innings.
Melanie Murphy (Seminole State) got the win after throwing three innings of two-hit ball while striking out three batters.
Lexi Kinnaird (Kirkwood) threw the final twoinnings striking out one.
Skains went 1-for-1 with a single.
Offensively, four players had multiple hits paced by Taylor Nearad’s (Kirkwood) 3-for-3 effort.
Nearad scored a run and had a RBI, finishing just a home run shy of the cycle.
Beshears, Byrd, and Jade Lee (Iowa Western) each had two hits while Claire Dudek (Des Moines Area) reached base three times, going 1-for-2 with twowalks.
NJCAA 5, Calahoo 2
In Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Calahoo Erins, Skains sparked the offensive attack going 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI.
Ashley Morris (Chipola) and Byrd each picked up two hits while Kelsie Packard (Rock Valley) earned the win giving up one earned run on five hits in four innings.
Dustie Durham (Phoenix) threw a strong two innings of relief striking out one.
Brynn Minor (Butler) gave up no hits and struck out one batter to close out the victory.
Canada 2, NJCAA 0
Team Canada Elite’s pitching attack stymied the NJCAA hitters who picked up 3 hits on the game with from Nearad, Morris, and Minor in the 2-0 loss for NJCAA.
Skains went 0-2 with a walk against Canada.
The pitching for NJCAA All-Stars was solid throughout with Murphy getting the start to take the tough luck loss after giving up 1 run on 5 hits in 3 innings.
The former Butler CC pitching tandem of Mergele and Minor threw the final 3 innings of the game combining to give up 1 earned run on 3 hits while striking out 3.
NJCAA 9, Team BC 1
On Monday, a balanced offensive attack along with a pair of dominating efforts in the circle combined to lead the NJCAA National All-Star team to a 9-1 (5 innings) victory over Team BC U21 in the team’s final exhibition game.
Claire Dudek, Brynn Minor, Morgan Frost, and Jade Lee had 2 hits each to lead the way.
After loading the bases in the first and pushing 2 runs across on a Minor RBI single the NJCAA team was held in check until the 4th when Minor lead off with a single to left field and Frost jumped on a 1-1 pitch for a 2-run no doubt home run to center field.
Lee and Dusty Durham then followed with singles and a Brooke Breland sac fly followed by a Taylor Beshears squeeze bunt single kept the scoring going.
A pair of singles from Dudek and Cori McCrary and a Rebecca Skains walk loaded the bases again for Minor who hit a deep sac fly to RF for her third RBI of the short game.
Lexi Kinnaird then entered in the circle in relief of Kelsie Packard who had gone 3 innings, surrendering only one hit while walking one.
Kinnaird finished the game with 2 strikeouts, no hits and no walks in her 2 innings pitched.
Skains went 0-for1, but drew two walks in the game.
Japan 14, NJCAA 2
The NJCAA National All-Stars dropped a pool play game to the top-ranked softball team in the world from Japan, 14-2 (6 innings). Taylor Nearad led the all-stars going 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored while Ashley Morris was also productive going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
Morris also scored a run on Rebecca Skains’ fifth inning triple, which extended the game to a 6th inning.
In the sixth, Team Japan broke the game open scoring 6 runs on 8 hits.
Reagan Mergle got the start in the circle and threw 2 innings allowing 4 hits while striking out 2, including the first Japanese hitter to open the game.
Melanie Murphy relieved her throwing 1 2/3 innings giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits. Lexi Kinnaird, Dusty Durham, and Brynn Minor finished up in the circle combining to allow 6 runs on 8 hits.
Skains went 1-for-3 with a RBI in the loss.
The NJCAA All-Stars team concluded pool play Wednesday against Team Mexico.