Joey Lye

Biography

A heart-and-soul type utility player since joining the national team in 2010, Joey Lye has competed in every WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship for Canada, earning bronze in 2010, 2016 and 2018. She was also a member of the Canadian teams that took home silver at the 2011 and 2019 Pan American Games and gold in 2015. She started all seven games at second base and hit .316 during Lima 2019. A few weeks later at the WBSC Americas Olympic Qualifier in 2019, Lye hit .600 as Canada booked its ticket to Tokyo 2020. In her Olympic debut, Lye recorded two hits in two official at-bats and scored two runs as Canada won the bronze medal. 

A dual-sport collegiate athlete, Joey Lye was a four-year letter winner in both softball and ice hockey at Williams College where she was named to the NESCAC’s All-Sportsmanship Team in both sports. In softball, Lye was a four-time All-NESCAC and NFCA New England Region First Team selection at shortstop. She set five all-time school records in batting average (.457), runs scored (150), hits (211), total bases (267) and stolen bases (62). As a senior, Lye led the nation with a .563 batting average, setting a new Williams single-season record. She also set a school record with 22 stolen bases and was named the 2009 NESCAC and ECAC Division III New England Player of the Year.

A Little More About Joey

Getting into the Sport: Started playing softball at age 7 and joined a rep team at age 10… Almost quit softball when she was 12 but a coach convinced her to give it “one more year”… Outside Interests: Earned her Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2014… Graduated from Williams College in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology… Enjoys reading, travelling, spending time with family and friends, going to the beach or lake… Works as the head softball coach at Bucknell University since 2018. … Odds and Ends: Favourite motto “Hard work doesn’t guarantee you anything but without it you don’t stand a chance”… Nicknames: Jo Jo, Little One, Josephine… Appeared in “Faces in the Crowd” in the May 25, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated… An autobiography she wrote in Grade 10 was titled “Future Olympian”… Inspired by hockey player Vicky Sunohara…