Maple Ridge’s Franklin named to Canada Cup team

Maple Ridge’s Franklin named to Canada Cup team

Published 5:45 pm Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Larissa Franklin gets hugs coming home. (Lathaneul Filliol/Special to The News)

Maple Ridge national team softball stalwart Larissa Franklin has been named to the team for the upcoming Canada Cup Women’s International Softball Championship in Surrey next month.

The outfielder and top-of-the-order hitter has been a member of the national team for 13 years, winning bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She came back from cancer treatment, chemotherapy for aggressive lymphoma, to still make the team last year, and won the Sport BC Harry Jerome Comeback Award.

She and Team Canada just won the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group event in Prague, which ended on Saturday, June 20. The team punched their ticket to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Finals in spring 2027 in Australia.

Franklin started all five games, had five hits in 15 at bats, smacked a homer, and stole a base.

A post shared by Larissa Franklin | Olympian | Keynote Speaker (@larissafranklin26)

Two Canadian teams will compete in the WBSC-sanctioned Surrey tournament, which will feature a total of 15 teams including some of the top national teams in women’s softball.

Team Canada will look to return to the top of the podium and avenge a 7-5 loss in the 2025 gold medal game to Triple Crown Colorado. Team Canada has a strong history in the event, having most recently claimed gold in 2024.