A 16-year-old baseball player from Barrhead, Alberta will represent the province at the 2026 16U Girls National Championship in Moncton, New Brunswick from August 20 to 23. Mia Schuurman, who plays for the U18 Barrhead Orioles, was one of 15 players from across Alberta selected to compete on Team Alberta.
Schuurman, who started playing five years ago and has worked her way up from U11 to U18 with the Orioles, says her older brother inspired her to take up the sport. “I just grew up into the sport. My brother played and I think he inspired me,” Schuurman said.
Her selection continues what has already been a successful baseball journey. In 2022, she was part of the U11 Orioles team that won a provincial championship in Sylvan Lake, beating an Edmonton squad 13-8 in the final. Two years later, she helped Team Alberta’s U14 team capture gold at the 2024 Western Canada Championship in Spruce Grove, defeating British Columbia 10-7.
Schuurman earned her spot on the U16 roster after attending tryouts in February and has been training hard ever since. “I’m very excited and I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “I’m just training extra hard and practicing for it.”
The upcoming tournament is part of Baseball Canada’s national championships. Team Alberta’s participation is administered by Baseball Alberta.
