Fruitvale’s Alli Schroder will pitch for the Grand Forks Slag Dusters at the 42nd Grand Forks International baseball tournament next week.
She will become the first woman in the tournament’s history to participate as a player.
“She’s going to be breaking that barrier,” said co-ordinator Steve Boutang. “It’s great to see. She’s a fantastic person and a great pitcher. I think when she has an opportunity to get on the mound, the fans are really going to be behind her.”
It’s not clear yet when that chance will come. Jake Maniago is expected to be the starting pitcher for the Slag Dusters in their opening match Monday evening against the Calgary Dinger Bat Diamondbacks.
Schroder, 24, will also play for Boston when the Women’s Pro Baseball League kicks off its inaugural season in August.
“It’s a really exciting addition to the team and for the tournament,” Boutang said.
Schroder is one of several additions to the Slag Dusters, who last year came as close as any local team ever has to winning the tournament, dropping the final against the Alaska Goldpanners.
“It was an amazing day of baseball because they had to get through a semi-final in the morning and then they had to play the best team in the tournament and almost pulled off another big upset,” Boateng said. “It was really fantastic for the fans. It was exciting and we were so proud of them.”
In addition to Grand Forks and Calgary, the 2014 champion Burnaby Bulldogs round out the Canadian clubs taking part in the tournament, which has eight teams this year, down from 10 last year.
Alaska will also be back to defend its title, along with the Seattle Studs, who have won four championships since 2015, the Seattle Blackfins, who won in 2024, as well as the Everett Merchants and Northwest Honkers.
The teams are made up of college-level players, along with some ex-pros. About 40 players who have attended the GFI over the years have gone on to Major League careers.
The seven-day tournament requires a massive community effort at the park 12 hours per day, to run the concession, sell tickets, operate the scoreboard, and maintain the field.
“So for the 200 or 250 of them that we have, our heartfelt thanks go to them,” said Boutang, who has been involved with the tournament since 2001, but is not the only one with such longevity. He said the committment that volunteers show “says a tremendous amount” about their passion for the tournament and community.
Boutang, who umpires at the tournament in addition to organizing it, said he was 16 when John Olerud, a future Toronto Blue Jay, played for the GFI with the Washington State Cougars. Watching the tournament motiviated him to get good enough to be on the field in some capacity. Twenty-five years ago, he’s umpired an estimated 250 games.
“And that in itself is rewarding for me,” he said.
The full schedule is below.
Monday, June 22
6 p.m. – Little League game
7 p.m. – Opening ceremonies
7:30 p.m. – Grand Forks Slag Dusters vs Calgary Dinger Bat Diamondbacks
Tuesday, June 23
1 p.m. – Seattle Studs vs Seattle Black Fins
4 p.m. – Burnaby Bulldogs vs Northwest Honkers
7:30 p.m. – Hall of Fame ceremony
7:30 p.m. – Everett Merchants vs Fairbanks Goldpanners
Wednesday, June 24
1 p.m. – Burnaby Bulldogs vs Seattle Black Fins
4 p.m. – Grand Forks Slag Dusters vs Everett Merchants
7 p.m. – Little League game
8:30 p.m. – Home run derby (junior derby followed by GFI derby)
Thursday, June 25
1 p.m. – Fairbanks Goldpanners vs Calgary Dinger Bat Diamondbacks
4 p.m. – Northwest Honkers vs Seattle Black Fins
7:30 p.m. – Seattle Studs vs Burnaby Bulldogs
Friday, June 26
1 p.m. – Calgary Dinger Bat Diamondbacks vs Everett Merchants
4 p.m. – Seattle Studs vs Northwest Honkers
7:30 p.m. – Grand Forks Slag Dusters vs Fairbanks Goldpanners
Saturday, June 27
PLAYOFF ROUND
10 a.m. – Qualifier 1 – A4 vs B3
1 p.m. – Qualifier 2 – B4 VS A3
4 p.m. – Quarter Final 1 – Q1 Winner vs B1
7:30 p.m. – Quarter Final 2 – Q2 Winner vs A1
Sunday, June 28
9 a.m. – Semi Final – Quarter Final 1 Winner vs B1
12 p.m. – Semi Final – Quarter Final 2 Winner vs A1
3 p.m. – Championship – Semi Final Winners
