Vanessa Riopel (born May 22, 1990) is a Canadian baseball player from Quebec. She is a member of the Canada women's national baseball team which won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.[1][2] She plays as a pitcher for the Victoriaville Laurier/Pub O'Connell of the Quebec Junior Major League Baseball (French: Ligue de baseball junior majeur du Québec).[3]

Vanessa Riopel
Medal record
Women's baseball
Representing  Canada
Women's Baseball World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Canada Team competition
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto Team competition

Early life

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Vanessa Riopel was born in Repentigny, Quebec on May 22, 1990.[4] Of note, she was born with a club foot.[5]

Her father is Daniel Riopel and her mother is Céline Majeau. She started to play baseball at the age of 9.[6]

Personal life

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She is in a relationship with Canadian soccer player Jessica Lavallée, who gave birth to a son on August 22, 2016.[citation needed]

Career

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She joined the Canada Women's National Baseball Team in 2007.[4]

During the winter of 2009, she played for the Footscray Bulldogs in Melbourne, Australia.[7]

Vanessa Riopel plays as a pitcher and a second base for the Victoriaville Laurier/Pub O'Connell of the Quebec Junior Major League Baseball (French: Ligue de baseball junior majeur du Québec) in 2014.[7] She is the only female to play in the league.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Baseball - Event Overview - Women". Toronto2015.org. Pan American Games. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. ^ "Baseball: Women: Team Roster: CAN - Canada" (PDF). Toronto2015.org. Pan American Games. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  3. ^ Charlebois, Yves (July 21, 2014). "Vanessa Riopel s'illustre dans un monde d'hommes". Canoe.
  4. ^ a b "Vanessa Riopel profile". Canadian Olympic Team – Official Website. 12 May 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  5. ^ "Riopel no stranger to overcoming obstacles". Baseball Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  6. ^ Bouchard, Etienne (June 16, 2015). "Beaucoup de fébrilité pour Vanessa Riopel". Canoe.
  7. ^ a b c Lafortune, Steven (July 14, 2014). "Vanessa Riopel : une baseballeuse dans un monde d'hommes!". La Nouvelle Union. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
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