The 2025 Canada Cup tournament concludes Sunday at Softball City in Surrey
Emma Entzimnger of Victoria is a softball Olympian, having won a bronze medal at Toyko 2020. Two other Island players, Peyton Bryden of Langford and Annabel Teperson of Campbell River, hope to follow her along the path to Los Angeles 2028.
The trio have led Canada into the medal round as the 2025 Canada Cup tournament concludes Sunday at Softball City in Surrey.
Third-base player Entzminger, 29, is the established veteran juggling her job as a firefighter with the Victoria Fire Department with international sport, while outfielder and utility-infielder Bryden, 20, and pitcher Teperson, 21, are just beginning to make their impression on the Canadian national team.
“It’s definitely a surreal feeling to be playing alongside the players I’ve looked up to all these years,” said Bryden.
“I’ve learned so much from the national-team veterans about how to play on the field and act off it, and how much love and respect they have for the game. The Olympics are the long-term goal for me, whether it’s Los Angeles 2028 or 2032 [Brisbane]. I want to take this as far as I can.”
Bryden came up in a winning culture in the Langford Lightning program, capturing Canadian championships in under-17 and under-19. But she wasn’t always a rep team player.
“It’s a crazy feeling having worked my way up to this, because I started out in ‘C’ ball and only after that ‘B’ and finally up to ‘A ball,” said Bryden.
It led to the U.S. collegiate NCAA Division 1 at Winthrop University in South Carolina, where Bryden had a standout sophomore season this year, followed by a strong showing in the Softball Canada identification camp.
“I was not expecting to make the national team this early but this has been a very beneficial experience for me and has really opened my eyes about how competitive it is internationally,” said Bryden, who impressed immediately by homering for Canada.
“It’s definitely a level up from college.”
Teperson, meanwhile, grew up in California but hails from a well-known Campbell River sporting family on her mom Lael Stover’s side.
“I spent every summer in Campbell River,” said Teperson.
Teperson was the starting pitcher in Canada’s 7-3 opening playoff-round win over Colorado that advanced the hosts to a semifinal game late Saturday against either the Netherlands or Czechia. The championship game is Sunday at 6 p.m.
Teperson played NCAA Div. 1 for the University of California at Berkeley, the first three years when the Bears were in the old Pac-12, before her senior season when the school moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Teperson is a dual citizen but felt compelled to declare for Canada.
“It was always a goal of mine to play for Team Canada and honour the connection to my family,” she said.
“It’s been amazing, so special, to wear the Canadian jersey because of my Campbell River connections with my family members coming down to see me play in Surrey.
“The Olympics have always been a huge dream of mine, but I’m just taking it year by year.”
Canada is coming off its gold-medal win this month in the Pan American championship in Colombia, in which Teperson pitched well, and Entzminger led Canada at the plate with a blazing .393 batting average.
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