THUNDER BAY, Ontario -- Zoe Hicks could probably sleep in her Team Canada uniform. Not only would this quintessential baseball fanatic probably enjoy it, but it might just save her some time, too. After all, the third baseman for Team Canada at this week's WBSC Women's World Cup also plays on Canada's national softball team, which recently finished second in Group C at the Softball World Cup and will head back to Italy for the finals next summer.

With an infectious personality and a seemingly endless well of energy, Hicks didn't take any time off between the two sports, either. When her flight from the tournament landed in Canada, Hicks tossed on her spikes again and headed to the park: She had two baseball games to play.

"I flew from Italy to our national tournament," Hicks said. She represented Manitoba at the tournament, which features each province competing against each other. "I ended up getting there on the Saturday morning and playing a doubleheader that day. For me, it's just for the love of the game. I love being on the field, I love any opportunity I can get dirty and play. So, it was a no-brainer for me to go straight from Italy. The dates lined up perfectly."

She has a lot of hometown pride, wanting to show off that her province can produce ballplayers who are just as talented as those from a "big city like a Winnipeg or even a Toronto or Vancouver."

Now though, the woman from Boissevain -- a town with just 1,600 residents -- is worldwide. The softball tournament in Italy was her first international tournament and she's doubled that count this week in Thunder Bay. She's gone 4-for-4 with a double and 3 RBIs in two Canada victories so far.

"It's always incredible to be able to do what she has done over the last year, just incredible," Canada manager Anthony Pluta said. "She played for us in the Friendship Series. She split some time. And we talked in the offseason, she stayed in shape. She was telling us she was going to play softball, and then went out and dominated softball and is dominating the tournament right now. I couldn't be happier. She's not coming out of third base. She's the person we want there."

It's the end result of years spent dreaming and working on her game. Hicks attended Iowa Western, Buffalo and Louisiana Tech for college, but she always hoped to pull on her country's iconic red jersey.

"It was surreal. I was super nervous," Hicks said about the tournament in Italy. "I had looked up to those people since I was 13 years old. So, to be able to represent Canada, it was a goal of mine. Going through college, I always wanted that bigger goal and not to just play college but to play for my country."

While she grew up playing softball -- and dancing, a whole lot of dancing -- her baseball career is pretty new. She was home from college in 2018 when her provincial team coach asked her to attend a few practices ahead of the 2018 national tournament that was being hosted in her home province of Manitoba. Suffice to say, she stood out.

"They were just like, 'Yeah, you're hanging out at home for the summer. You might as well come hang out with us,'" Hicks joked. "I was in the right spot at the right time and got in front of the right people."

Though baseball was a late addition to her life, now it's her day job, too. Hicks is in her second season with the Dodgers, having started last year working in their technology department before adding in more on-field duties this past season.

"I got with the Dodgers through a program with MLB called, 'Take the Field,'" Hicks explained. "It is aimed at getting more women involved in baseball. So I did the virtual seminars in 2020, signed up for that, sent my resume, sent all my experience and all that information went into a database for the clubs to choose from."

While she is thrilled to be playing in front of hometown fans and providing inspiration for the children in the stands in Thunder Bay this week, she doesn't want to be a role model simply for being a woman working in sports. She's tired of the story being about an "extraordinary woman doing extraordinary things in MLB." She eagerly looks forward to that simply being the norm.

"I want it to be, 'Oh, this is a coach in MLB. This is someone who does their job really well. They happen to be a woman, but they're just someone who does something extraordinarily,'" Hicks said. "I really try my best not to be like, 'Oh, I'm a role model for the next generation.' I want it to be I'm doing my job. I'm being paid to do my job and I do it well. I take pride in it, but I want it to be an everyday thing where there's three or four women involved or you know, it's over 50 percent. I want those things to happen, so if I act as though it's normal, everyone else will follow suit."

The love of the game filters through everything Hicks does, but when asked about a memory that stands out, it's not about herself or even the national team. 

"I remember last last year, I was playing with Team Manitoba, and one of our older players was struggling that tournament at the plate and she ended up walking us off that day," Hicks said. "We ended up winning against I think it was Saskatchewan. I just remember the joy that I felt for her. To understand what she was going through and for her to come through for us was just a joyful moment.

"For me, it's not all me hitting a bomb and making a great play. It's about me sharing those moments with everyone around me because we all sacrifice, and we all make decisions to be here and to be playing at the highest level."