North Saanich athlete selected for Team Canada U18 softball team

North Saanich athlete selected for Team Canada U18 softball team

Published 10:30 am Friday, October 9, 2026

The phone call came while Lauren Coppinger was at the ferry terminal.

On the other end was Softball Canada, calling to tell the North Saanich athlete she had earned a spot on the U18 Women’s National Team.

“It was amazing to hear,” Coppinger said. “It was probably the best phone call I’ve ever gotten for sure.”

Coppinger, a Grade 11 student, had to keep the news quiet for another few weeks before Softball Canada officially announced the roster on Oct. 1.

Now, she is preparing to pull on the maple leaf for the first time when Canada heads to San Salvador, El Salvador, for the 2026 WBSC U18 Women’s Pan American Championship from Nov. 21 to 28.

The tournament will feature 18 teams from across the Americas and serve as a qualifying event for the 2028 WBSC U18 Women’s World Cup.

Coppinger was one of 16 athletes selected to the Canadian roster, joining fellow Vancouver Island player Jessica Slater of Nanaimo.

The selection caps a standout year for Coppinger, who plays third base and shortstop for the Central Saanich Extreme.

The U17 Extreme captured a national silver medal in August, with Coppinger earning the tournament’s Top Batter Award after hitting .590, going 23-for-39 with 12 singles, five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 20 RBIs. She also scored 18 runs and stole two bases.

“That was probably one of my biggest accomplishments,” Coppinger said.

She credits her coaches and family for helping her reach that point, but her path in softball has not always been straightforward.

Coppinger played baseball until she was 15 and considered quitting the sport after becoming unhappy with the environment.

“I came out, I tried, and I was like, wow, this is amazing,” she said. “I just fell in love with the team and the coaches and everything about it ever since the first day, and I was like, wow, this is gonna be my home.”

On the field, Coppinger describes herself as a natural leader with a goldfish mentality who isn’t afraid to dive in headfirst.

“If I make a mistake, I think about it for a second, know what I need to do to adjust, and I move forward, and I cheer on my teammates,” she said.

While softball has become her primary athletic focus, Coppinger continues to play ‘AAA’ hockey as a goalie with the Victoria Hockey Academy. She is on the ice four days a week and in the gym four days a week, with the training providing crossover benefits between the two sports.

She expects softball to be her focus after high school, but wants to hold onto hockey for as long as possible.

“I am definitely leaning for softball, and I find it really is my passion,” she said. “It’s something that I could do for the rest of my life, and I wouldn’t get sick of it.”

Before heading to El Salvador, Coppinger will train primarily on her own while staying connected with her new teammates through online meetings. The group is expected to come together for practices shortly before the tournament.

And while she is excited about representing Canada internationally, Coppinger said her focus is on doing whatever the team needs.

“My main priority is the logo before anything,” she said. “It is such an honour to be wearing the maple leaf.”

“If I have to go be a role player and be a utility and not even play that much, I’m more than happy to be playing that role because I’m just happy to be a part of it.”