Whitby girl meets favourite Blue Jay after baseball skills go viral

Whitby girl, 8, meets favourite Blue Jay An eight-year-old who is the only girl on a first-place Whitby baseball team met her hero Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Eight-year-old Ashlynn Jolicoeur, who is the only girl on the first-place Whitby Chiefs Senior Rookie baseball team, got to meet her favourite Toronto Blue Jays player after a video showcasing her skills went viral earlier this week.

Jolicoeur became a social media sensation after American non-profit “Baseball For All” posted a video of her running and diving for balls, making some spectacular plays. In the caption, it said “Ashlynn, 7, was told that ‘girls shouldn’t be playing baseball.’”

According to the girl’s father, the comment was made by another parent after his daughter was awarded the MVP award at a playoff tournament.

As of Thursday afternoon, the video had been shared more than 11,000 times on Twitter.

On Wednesday, Jolicoeur was spotted at the Rogers Centre decked out in Blue Jays gear.

The Blue Jays posted the video of the stellar catches to social media, saying they were “so excited to have eight-year-old Ashlynn at the ballpark tonight.”

The team also posted a video of Jolicoeur meeting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In the video, Guerrero Jr. is seen talking with Ashlynn and signing her glove.

“That special moment when you meet your favourite player,” the Blue Jays tweeted. “Ashlynn, meet Vladdy.”

A social media account that says it represents the eight-year-old retweeted the Blue Jays’ tweet, calling the night “amazing” and thanking the team for inviting her to the game and to batting practice.

“Meeting Vladdy was a dream come true,” the tweet said. “Best night ever for this little girl.”

Jolicoeur, who said she is not fazed at being the sole girl on her baseball team, will be playing at the Baseball For All National Girls Baseball Tournament in Rockford, Ilinois at the end of the month.

Ashlynn Jolicoeur is seen after baseball practice on July 23, 2019. (CTV News Toronto)