She seemed to know it the moment it came off the bat…

15-year-old Kamloops baseball player Layla Spencer made Canadian baseball history earlier this week, swatting a three-run homer to open scoring for Team BC at the Canada Summer Games tournament taking place in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Her blast against the host Newfoundland team — in her first at-bat of the tournament in the first inning — was also the first home run in women’s baseball history at the Games.

This is the first year that women are getting their own tournament in baseball, playing under the same rules as the men’s tournament.

Until this year, women had been confined to softball at the Canada Games.

While rooted on the same principles, softball has quite a few different rule variations — on top of a completely different style of pitching — that makes baseball and softball two different sports entirely.

Spencer tells NL Sports that being part of the first women’s baseball teams at the event is quite special but admits that hitting her home run was a moment she won’t soon forget.

“I knew I hit it well, it was so high up in the air,” she recalled to Radio NL in conversation in between games in St. John’s.  “I wanted to be humble just in case in blew back in the field of play, so I just put my arm up.”

“Once I heard everyone screaming and saw it go over the fence, it was quite the moment,” added a poised Spencer as she prepared for another game against Quebec on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’ll never forget it.”

Clearly a highlight moment in her young career in baseball, Spencer was later told by tournament officials that she is not going to be able to keep the home run ball as a personal souvenir.

While on the surface that may seem rather unfair to the 15-year-old, Spencer concedes she’s willing to let the ball go.

“I wanted to sign the ball and keep it in my room, but they were like:  Listen Layla, that ball is going to a better place,” she chuckled.

That baseball is now headed to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in St. Mary’s, Ontario to help mark the inclusion of the women’s game on the national stage.

Spencer does say she has been able to maintain some keepsakes for herself.

“I took some pictures with it,” she noted, suggesting she was somewhat surprised by the overwhelming response after the game was over.

“Everyone wanted to talk to me and do interviews. I was like oh my gosh!” said Spencer of the moment.  “I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”

Her mom Stefanie was able to make the trip along with her to St. John’s to watch her in-person.

However, dad watched the game on the web stream back in Kamloops.

“When I called him after the game, he told me he yelled so loud (after I hit it) that he scared my sister,” she chuckled in conversation with Radio NL.

Spencer says the broader atmosphere surrounding the first game of the tournament against the hosts from Newfoundland and Labrador was incredible.

“That was by far the most people I’ll ever see in a long time,” said Spencer.  “5,000 people in the stands…sitting on the hillside out in left and right field…It was crazy!”

Spencer pointed out that normally this time of the year, she’d be playing with the U15 Kamloops Riverdogs — a part of her season she would otherwise look forward to, even though she’s competing predominantly against and alongside young men as part of that squad.

But this year, with the Canada Summer Games hosting provincial teams exclusively for young women like herself for the first time, she says the tournament takes on extra significance.

“Getting to play with your team, it being all girls and playing against all girls. It’s rewarding,” said Spencer in a reflective moment when asked about the atmosphere in the Newfoundland and Labrador capital.  “Performing how you want to and coming together as a team to get wins… even the losses provide a learning experience.”

Spencer and the rest of Team BC continue the round robin format against Quebec Wednesday afternoon.

Team BC is 1-1 on the tournament thus far, with Spencer’s historic home run lifting her team to victory over the tournament hosts.

They would drop their next game to Alberta 16-6, then also come up just short against Quebec on Wednesday afternoon 3-2.

Team BC — the Aces — will face a team out of Ontario on Thursday.

She swings, she slams, she makes history! 💥

A groundbreaking moment at the plate for Layla Spencer of @Baseball_BC as she hits the first-ever home run in the inaugural women’s baseball game at the Canada Games. 🔥⚾️@2025canadagames | #2025CSG

📺 Credit: @cbcsports pic.twitter.com/VYeCo3wjvo

— Baseball Canada 🇨🇦⚾️ (@baseballcanada) August 19, 2025