Torrent 2026 Olympians Throw Out Ceremonial First Pitch Before Mariners Game
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Ahead of Friday night’s game between the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners, the second contest of a four-game series between the teams to open the season, the Seattle Torrent’s six Olympians were honored. All six players from the Torrent who represented their respective countries at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games were present, with Gold medalist and Team USA & Torrent captain Hilary Knight delivering the ceremonial first pitch as caught by Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor.
Seattle Torrent Olympians Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter, Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Julia Gosling, and Aneta Tejralová were honored on the field ahead of the Seattle Mariners game against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, March 27th, 2026, at T-Mobile Park. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
In the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Team USA saw four Torrent players help push them to winning the Gold medal in Hilary Knight (captain of the team), Alex Carpenter (Alternate captain), Hannah Bilka, and Cayla Barnes in a final that pit them against their teammate, Team Canada forward and Silver Medalist Julia Gosling. Aneta Tejralová, battling an injury before the Olympics but able to return in time to fully participate, captained a tough Team Czechia.
It’s great to see the Olympians out and about for the Torrent, as fans have been saddened by Hannah Bilka and Hilary Knight both being placed on long-term injured reserve, and Bilka’s season fully over. Knight was never deemed out for the season, revealing that she played through the Olympics with a torn MCL, and has returned to on-ice work at the Kraken Community Iceplex, per a recent TikTok post.
In other leagues, it would make sense if Knight wanted to sit out the remainder of the season to heal up so that she could begin preparations for next season. However, with the PWHL adopting the Gold Plan for their draft lottery, there is still an impact that Hilary can have on the ice for the Torrent. Team sources tell Circling Seattle Sports that Knight tore her MCL in the very first game of the Olympics and played through it, captaining Team USA to the Gold Medal. The severity of the tear remains unknown.
Seattle Torrent and Team USA captain Hilary Knight, in a Northwest Green Josh Naylor Seattle Mariners jersey, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
While it doesn’t necessarily matter, given that she’s out for the season, it was interesting to see that forward Hannah Bilka had what appears to be an External Rotation Brace for the right side of her body. Bilka was placed on long-term injured reserve by the Torrent back on March 10th, and declared “out of the Torrent lineup for the remainder of the 2025-26 PWHL season” at that time. The team’s official press release stated that Bilka sustained an upper-body injury while representing the United States and winning gold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. I won’t speculate what Bilka injured and needs surgery on. I am a sports writer and very clearly not a doctor, but we at least now have a vague idea of the area where she was injured.
Hannah Bilka, Seattle Torrent and Team USA forward, is seen with a brace on the right side of her body ahead of the Seattle Mariners game against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, March 27th, 2026, at T-Mobile Park. (Photos by Eric Hiller for Circling Seattle Sports)
Josh Naylor, Mariners first baseman and well-documented hockey fan, is normally not keen on catching ceremonial first pitches but jumped at the chance to be part of this one with Knight. Naylor, who we spoke with about his hockey fandom last season, has a Hilary Knight Seattle Torrent jersey in his locker in the Mariners clubhouse.
Following a five-game road trip, although they were designated as the “home team” for a Takeover Tour game in Chicago, the Seattle Torrent return to Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday, March 29th, to host the Ottawa Charge for the second time this season. The fourth game of the season series will feature a 4 PM PDT puck drop and will be broadcast live on YouTube and FOX 13+. The Torrent will look to build on the momentum of their win over the New York Sirens in their previous contest and perhaps continue their home-ice advantage after defeating the Boston Fleet in their last game at Climate Pledge Arena.
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