A Nova Scotia girl made baseball history over the Labour Day weekend as she became the youngest person to play for Canada’s national women’s team at the age of 15.

To make her accomplishment more impressive, Katie Hagen is legally blind.

The precocious pitcher has the catcher paint their fingers in bright colours so she can see the calls. Hagen pitched five innings for Team Canada at the World Cup in South Korea and helped the team trounce India 18-4. Canada lost to Japan in the finals and captured silver.

“Korea was awesome,” Hagen told CTV Atlantic. “It was the coolest baseball experience I’ve ever had. Just meeting all the new girls, the teammates, performing at that level is awesome.”

The Dartmouth, N.S. teen is the youngest player to ever make Team Canada’s lineup. Hagen was just 15 when she competed in South Korea, where she later celebrated her 16th birthday.

She hasn’t let her age or her vision hold her back, although pitching becomes trickier depending on the distance between her and the batter.

“Bantam distance isn’t so bad, but when I get back to full distance, which is 60 feet, it becomes a lot harder to see,” she said.

Hagen’s success in South Korea had a lot to do with her attitude, her father said.

“It’s huge for a 15-year-old to see (that) composure, that she kept her wits about herself,” said Scott Hagen.

Back in Nova Scotia, Hagen is the only girl on her bantam team. Her coach says she’s easily one of the league’s top players.

“She’s proven herself to be one of the best players in our league. It showed on the world stage,” said coach Joe Hicks.

Baseball is a bit of a family tradition in Hagen’s family. Her grandfather, John Hagen, was drafted to the St. Louis Cardinals’ rookie team in the 1960s.

“He hurt his arm. He was a left-handed pitcher,” Katie Hagen said. “My older brother played, and then I played.”

Hagen said that being the only girl on an all-boys team is part of what motivates her.

“It’s a sport (where) everybody on the field is involved, and you’re going to have the people who tell you you’re not going to play because you’re a girl, but that just makes you want to play even more,” she said.

With a report from CTV Atlantic