BURLINGTON, Ont. - Kate Psota graduated from Laurier with a trophy case worth of hardware to her name. An integral part of the Golden Hawks women's hockey team's dominant run from the mid-to-late 2000s, Psota won an OUA championship in each of her five years in the purple and gold, from 2006 to 2010. In her final year, Laurier added a CIS (now U SPORTS) bronze medal. 

The news that Psota was recently inducted into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame should come as no surprise then. What is remarkable is that all her achievements on the ice come a respectable but distant second to the enormous impact she's had on the baseball diamond. 

A trailblazer in Canadian women's baseball, Psota is one of only two Canadians – along with fellow Golden Hawks hockey alum Ashley Stephenson – to have competed in each iteration of the IBAF Women's Baseball World Cup. Of the eight tournaments held between 2004 and 2018, Psota helped Canada medal in six, earning two silvers and four bronzes and was named to the tournament's all-star team at first base in 2010 and 2012. 

Even with all her success, Psota describes the induction ceremony, held on May 30, as "humbling." Her class included Shelly Simonton Barnett, founder of NEXXICE Synchronized Skating, Dr. Marnix Heersink, philanthropist and former Western Mustangs basketball star, as well as Brady Heslip, former Raptors 905 player and current GM of the CEBL's Scarborough Shooting Stars. 

"There were a lot of very talented people who came back for the evening, and the other inductees, wow, just listening to their stories, their life journey to that point," said Psota.
 
Doubtless, the audience and inductees were just as inspired by Psota's own story. To succeed at the level she has in one sport is rare. To do so in two is exceptional. Psota credits her upbringing for allowing her to pursue her passion for both games.  

"I think if you ask any woman unless you're in golf or tennis, you're really doing it for the love of the game because we're certainly not doing it to get rich," she said. "You've really got to love what you're doing and to have the support of the people around, to have some really good coaches and mentors. Obviously, your parents have to really be supportive too because of the financial strain at a young age." 

Psota describes baseball as her "first love." She remained loyal to baseball despite the common expectation for high-level female athletes to compete in the more popular sport of women's softball.  

"I certainly had a lot of people pressuring me to switch over to the softball side because of the opportunities that were available for scholarships, especially [in the U.S.]. But for me, I dabbled in it a little bit, tried it a little bit, but I just didn't like it the same at all. I love baseball." 

It didn't take long for the sport to reciprocate; by age 13 Psota was already competing for Team Ontario. A 16, she was named the province's Player of the Year, becoming the first woman to receive the award. Her first World Cup came just two years later. 

Meanwhile, Psota also excelled at hockey, garnering attention from OUA recruiters. She picked Laurier due to the "sense of community" on campus, which appealed to her coming from the smaller-sized Aldershot High School. It helped that then women's hockey head coach Rick Osbourne encouraged her multi-sport ambitions. 
 

 "Osborne was actually a big baseball guy, so he was really supportive of me and Ashley Stephenson ... He thought it was great."  

"It was the same with our coach Andre Lachance with Team Canada. He was a huge component of having athletes be multi-sport athletes, because there's a lot of research that shows, especially growing up, that the more sports you play, the more athletic you are and the more talented and more durable you become." 

Psota and Stephenson only played one year together at Laurier, but their relationship goes far beyond that. 

"We go back a long way. I knew Ashley before Laurier, we've been buddies a long time, so it was really awesome to get to spend a year with her there," said Psota. "Having her there through all those World Cups was awesome. It's just somebody from home, somebody you're used to. We were pretty much roommates for every trip ... Having someone like that through the whole ride was really incredible. She's a phenomenal athlete and an even better person." 

When asked about her favourite memories from her time at Laurier, Psota found it difficult to pinpoint an answer. "It's hard because we won a lot," said Psota without a trace of sarcasm. The Golden Hawks lost a grand total of 19 non-exhibition games, including playoffs and tournaments, during her entire five-year tenure. 

Psota herself had 55 career points in 125 games played and always found another gear in the playoffs, scoring 24 points in 32 games. 

"Honestly, it was the people that were in that program that really made the experience what it was. I think if I had to pinpoint one, I think my very last game was in Antigonish, NS., [a win in the CIS bronze-medal game]. We got to start the game with five girls that were graduating that year. That was pretty cool just to look around before puck drop and know that was the closing of the chapter and hopefully the start of something new."
 
Now, Psota stands on a similar threshold. The 2018 World Cup in Florida was her last as a player, while the upcoming 2024 tournament in Thunder Bay, Ont. will be her first as a coach. 

"It doesn't get any less special, and you don't take it for granted," Psota said about representing her country. "One day, that can be gone, right? So every time you put that jersey on, it's special, even if it's coaching." 

"Quite honestly, I think I take the coaching even more seriously than playing - if that's possible ... It's way more stressful than playing. As a player, you eat right, you sleep, you do your recovery, you show up, try to get in the mindset and play your game. Coaching, you're worried about so many other things, you're managing your players, their emotions, the injuries, the tournament in general." 

As for why she and Stephenson – who has coached for Canada since retiring but will miss the World Cup due to accepting a full-time position with the Vancouver Canadians, the Blue Jays' single-A affiliate – do it, "It's so important to give back," says Psota. 

"When we started this, we didn't think this is where it was going to go. You don't set out when you're 18 years old and think, 'Oh, yeah, I'm going to have a 15-year career and I'm going to jump into coaching' ... But it is kind of a natural fit and the experience helps a lot. I find that a lot of the girls, they know how to hit, they know how to catch, they know how to do that stuff. But it's [questions] like, how do you manage your emotions in this situation? You know what you're looking for here?" 

"Those little tips I think are really helpful and, having former players that have been with the program for a long time sitting on the bench, really helps the new players coming up, especially with a really young team." 

For both her young players and for herself, heading into her first World Cup behind the bench, Psota is excited to be able to play at home in one of Canada's most sports-fanatic cities. 

"We had a friendly last year in Thunder Bay and the support that we got from the local people in the city was incredible ... I think there are going to be big crowds and [lots of support for] Canadian baseball for sure." 

The 2024 IBAF Women's World Cup will begin this August 8-13 with the group stage being split between Thunder Bay and Myoshi, Japan. The medal round will take place next year back in Thunder Bay.