When Nicole Luchanski returned home with a silver medal from the last women鈥檚 baseball World Cup, she tucked the shiny piece of hardware away in a drawer.
The veteran second baseman hasn鈥檛 spent much time admiring that medal 鈥� a reminder of a crushing 10-0 loss to Japan 鈥� in the two years since.
It鈥檚 not that Luchanski doesn鈥檛 recognize the accomplishment of second place. It鈥檚 that she wants to be better.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of our team for finishing so high in the rankings consistently but I鈥檝e never been a proponent of silver and bronze in baseball,鈥� the Edmonton native said in a phone interview before the 2018 World Cup in Viera, Fla. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in track and field or swimming or another individual sport and you come in the top 3, that鈥檚 a huge deal.
鈥淏ut I think of baseball like any other pro team sport. If you don鈥檛 win the World Series no one gives you a silver medal.鈥�
The 2016 silver was Luchanski鈥檚 second at a World Cup (and third total after one from the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto). She was also part of two bronze-medal wins since joining the national team in 2005.
But no gold. Not yet, anyway.
Canada, ranked No. 2 behind Japan, opens play Wednesday against No. 10 Hong Kong. The Canadians have finished in the top 4 in every World Cup since the biennial tournament started in 2004, but they don鈥檛 consider their place atop the standings as an advantage.
鈥淲e鈥檙e underdogs, we鈥檙e not ranked No. 1,鈥� Luchanski said.
Amanda Asay, a right-handed pitcher who joined the team with Luchanski 13 years ago, agreed.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think we have a target on our backs,鈥� the Prince George, B.C., native said. 鈥淭his is the eighth World Cup so the countries that are competing for the top spot already know where everyone is at.
鈥淗opefully our development over the last year will put us ahead of our competition and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e aiming for.鈥�
READ MORE:
Luchanski and Asay were among a handful of players without a hit in the 2016 loss to Japan 鈥� Canada only managed two in a game Luchanski described as 鈥渘ot even close.鈥�
A perennial powerhouse, Japan is the tournament鈥檚 main competition again this year. No. 3 U.S. and No. 4 Australia also present challenges in the 12-team field.
Asay called Japan鈥檚 offence 鈥漹ery technically sound. They don鈥檛 make a lot of mistakes and they put a lot of balls in play.鈥� Luchanski, meanwhile, complimented their pitching staff: 鈥淭hey can throw sliders and off-speed stuff for strikes more consistently than any other country.鈥�
This year鈥檚 tournament will be the seventh World Cup for both Asay and Luchanski, who became fast friends when they met years ago when baseball and similar off-field interests sealed their bond.
Luchanski works as a forester and resource analyst in Edmonton while Asay is completing a PhD in forestry at UBC. They鈥檝e worked summer jobs together in the wilderness of Western Canada and played on the same provincial team as teenagers at a time when B.C. was unable to field a full roster of women鈥檚 players, instead blending with Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The women鈥檚 game has progressed in the west and elsewhere since those days. The two youngest players on Canada鈥檚 current team 鈥� 16-year-olds Allison Schroder and Emma March 鈥� are both from B.C.
鈥淚 see the effort they put in around here,鈥� Asay said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e promoting the women鈥檚 game a ton more than when I was growing up.鈥�
But while women鈥檚 baseball is growing across Canada, the sport still doesn鈥檛 seem to get much attention.
Luchanski said one of the problems is the lack of TV coverage for the women鈥檚 team, pointing to the 2015 Pan Am Games 鈥� the first international multisport event to feature women鈥檚 baseball 鈥� as a missed opportunity to showcase the sport.
鈥淭hat was our chance to have a young girl turn on the TV and see that she could play baseball,鈥� Luchanski said. 鈥淚 know there were a ton of sports that they were trying to get on TV but it seemed we couldn鈥檛 even get a highlight.
鈥淲e keep trying (to get more exposure) but I don鈥檛 know that we鈥檝e really gotten anywhere.鈥�
Asay said she often gets the common misconception that she plays softball 鈥� 鈥減eople are still kind of shocked that Canada has a women鈥檚 baseball team鈥� 鈥� but she sees those moments as opportunities to educate people on the program.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the reality of our situation,鈥� Asay said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not that well known, we鈥檙e not well broadcast, it鈥檚 not well advertised.
鈥淲e鈥檒l keep fighting as hard as we can to get more exposure, to let people know that we exist and to let young girls know there鈥檚 a future in baseball for them.鈥�
Melissa Couto, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
