Burlington has a long and notable sports history that includes many outstanding athletes, coaches, officials, media, and volunteers. The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame (BSHOF) is dedicated to identifying and honouring these individuals who have created this rich tradition. This year, the BSHOF is celebrating its 15th year and is proud to be inducting four new honourees at their 2023 induction ceremony on Tuesday, May 30 at the Burlington Golf and Country Club.
Our next honouree is Kate Psota.
Kate Psota is one of Canada’s most decorated female baseball players, but her multi-sport skills also involved high-level hockey. A graduate of Aldershot High School, this talented athlete won Aldershot Athlete of the Year in 2004, even though her exploits for the Stoney Creek Sabres hockey team didn’t allow her to play high school hockey. Her Sabres schedule was so intense that even balancing it with high school volleyball was tough. Kate also played girls’ softball and volleyball for the Aldershot Lions.
By the time Kate was 15, she focused on baseball, playing on multiple teams. She played Boys AA baseball before joining the newly-formed women’s program. She started to play provincial programs when she was 16 and first represented Canada in a tournament in Toronto in 2001.
Kate’s baseball achievements are impressive; she has been recognized as one of the greats of Canadian women’s baseball. Kate was only 13 when she was named to Team Ontario in 1999. Representing Ontario, Kate was a nine-time national champion, all while earning fame and success for Canada on the world stage. She was the first female to be honoured as Player of the Year by Baseball Ontario in 2002. She joined the newly-formed national team when she was 18 and has represented Canada in every International Baseball Federation (IBAF) World Cup since 2004. Kate has earned many personal and team accolades along the way. She has helped Canada win six World Cup medals (two silver and four bronze) and was named to the World Cup All-Star team at first base in 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018.
In 2008, Kate earned the Jimmy Rattlesnake Award from Baseball Canada for her on-field accomplishments as well as team spirit and leadershi,p and was named Canada Baseball National MVP in 2009 and 2010.
Garnering respect and admiration on the baseball field for Canada, Kate also pursued hockey at the post-secondary level, playing for five years at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU). At WLU, Kate helped the team win five consecutive OUA championships from 2006 to 2010, earning a CIS (now USports) bronze medal in 2010. Kate was highly-accomplished in the classroom as well, gaining CIS’ Academic All-Canadian honours in 2009. She loved playing hockey, but it was baseball that was her true passion. Kate helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Her last game for Canada was an exciting extra-innings game against the United States to win the bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup.
A true trailblazer for the women’s game, and a role model for the next generation of world-class baseball players, Kate was only 18 when she played in her first World Cup and now is giving back to the game as a member of the coaching staff for Canada at next summer’s World Cup in Thunder Bay. For her accomplishments on the national and world stage, Kate was recognized by Tourism Burlington as a “Famous Burlingtonian” and now she is being inducted into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame in the athlete category.
Emcee for the induction ceremony will be Steve Foxcroft. Tickets are $60, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. There will be a cocktail social from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the official induction ceremony starting at 7:00 p.m. A cash bar will be available and hors d’ oeuvres will be served throughout the evening.
For tickets contact Wayne Heslop at Wayne.Heslop@cogeco.ca or at 905-520-8922.
