DIDSBURY - Playing in the recent Little League 2023 Senior League Softball World Series was a fantastic once in a lifetime experience, says local athlete Payton Kinsley.
“It was so fun meeting a bunch of different people from so many different places,” said Kinsley, from Didsbury. “It was the coolest thing ever. Everyone was very good.”
Kinsey, 17, who has been playing softball since she was three-year-old, plays catcher and third base on Team Canada.
The World Series was played in Delaware and included teams from Canada, U.S., Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe-Africa.
Team Canada played seven games, finishing with a 5-2 record, good enough for a very respectable fourth place in the 10-team tourney.
On an individual level, Kinsley hit a remarkable 17 for 21 at the plate, with two home runs and numerous doubles and triples.
It was Kinsley’s first time at the Worlds. During the regular season she plays on the Southern Alberta Revolution team based in Crossfield.
Although she won’t be eligible to play in the World Series in 2024 because she will have aged out, Kinsley plans to continue playing the sport she loves, including hopefully at college.
“I haven’t found a college yet but we are looking,” she said.
Team Canada also included several other area players: Kacy and Kolby Finley and Mateah Burrill from Crossfield and Claira Stone from Airdrie.
The American team from Illinois won the 2023 championship.
