Thursday, July 20, 2017
by Simon Fraser Athletics Communciations

OTTAWA, Ont. – Simon Fraser University Softball sophomore Amanda Janes will be representing Canada at the 2017 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Junior Women's Softball World Championship.
 
The Brampton, Ontario native took part in a Softball Canada Selection Camp in June and was selected as an alternate for the Canadian Junior National Team. With an opening on the roster following the Canada Cup in Surrey last week, she was given the opportunity to wear the maple leaf for the first time.
 
"I am truly honoured to play for Canada this year at the World Championship as it has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl," Janes explained. "Putting the Canadian jersey on for the first time is going to feel unbelievable because when I was young, I used to watch our national team athletes play and always wished that one day I could be a part of that. Now that it has happened, I'm ecstatic and am looking forward to what this journey brings – I hope that I can be an inspiration to young softball players as the ladies on the national team were for me." 

For head coach Mike Renney, Janes' hard work on the diamond earned her the chance to represent her country. "I could not be more happy for Amanda," said Renney. "She has worked hard on the development of her skills to receive the opportunity to represent Canada. This experience will provide her with a springboard into her sophomore year at SFU which, based upon her freshman year, should be exciting to watch."

In 2017, Janes started 34 games for the Clan and had a .239 batting average. She picked up 26 hits, including four doubles, drove in 15 runs and drew 10 walks from opposing pitchers. Defensively, she completed 148 putouts, picked up 41 assists and finished the year with a .955 fielding percentage.
 
Janes and her teammates will travel to Clearwater, Fla., for the championship, which will be held from July 24 to 30. Team Canada matched its all-time best finish of fourth at the previous Junior World Championship held in Oklahoma City in 2015.