Ashley Stephenson to join Vancouver Canadians as coach

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Canadian Women’s National Team legend Ashley Stephenson has been hired as a coach by the Toronto Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate, Vancouver Canadians. Photo: Baseball Canada

January 18, 2023

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Canadian Women’s National Team legend Ashley Stephenson has been hired as a coach by the Toronto Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate, Vancouver Canadians.

A member of the original Women’s National Team in 2004, the Mississauga, Ont., native concluded her 15-year playing career with the program in 2018. She then became a coach and was part of the staff that led Canada to a bronze medal at the COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships in 2019.

Last year, she became the first woman to manage the Women’s National Team program when she was the dugout boss for their five five-game series against the United States in Thunder Bay, Ont.

“I am really excited for this opportunity,” said Stephenson in a statement issued by Baseball Canada. “I’ve loved baseball and the Blue Jays since I was three years old, and never really imagined that I’d be able to have a career in the game let alone with my favourite team. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and develop as a coach all while doing my best to help our players reach their ultimate goal.”

In 2022, Stephenson also coached Ontario teams at Baseball Canada’s Women’s Invitational Championships and the 16U Girls Championship prior to becoming the first woman to coach at the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase in Ottawa in September.

In August, she was invited to the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla., for a week, where she gained valuable experience as a guest coach with their Florida Complex League club.

Stephenson made history again in November when she became the first woman to capture Baseball Canada’s Lionel Ruhr Elite Coach of the Year Award.

“On behalf of Baseball Canada and our board of directors, we are thrilled for Ashley and the experience in professional baseball that she has in front of her,” said Baseball Canada CEO Jason Dickson in a statement. “Ashley played the game with incredible passion and knowledge and has translated both of those attributes into her coaching career. We wish her nothing but the best in this next chapter of her baseball career.”

Stephenson will be taking leave from her position as a high school teacher in early February before reporting to the Blue Jays Player Development Complex in Dunedin. In April, she will head to Vancouver with the club to begin the season.

8 thoughts on “Ashley Stephenson to join Vancouver Canadians as coach”

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    1. cooperstownersincanada – Kevin Glew is a professional writer based in London, Ontario. His work has been featured on CBC Sports, Sportsnet.ca, MLB.com and Sympatico.ca. He has also written articles for Baseball Digest, Baseball America, The Hockey News, Sports Market Report and the Canadian Baseball Network. He has been involved with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for more than 16 years, including a two-year stint as the museum's acting curator.
      cooperstownersincanada says:

      Thank you for your support and for reading.

      Reply
    1. cooperstownersincanada – Kevin Glew is a professional writer based in London, Ontario. His work has been featured on CBC Sports, Sportsnet.ca, MLB.com and Sympatico.ca. He has also written articles for Baseball Digest, Baseball America, The Hockey News, Sports Market Report and the Canadian Baseball Network. He has been involved with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for more than 16 years, including a two-year stint as the museum's acting curator.
      cooperstownersincanada says:

      Thanks for your comment, Bob. I agree.

      Reply
  3. Tom Valcke – Stratford, Ontario – Tom Valcke put his iCASE Baseball Academy as well as his position of Head Coach at George Brown College into hiatus, when Hong Kong brought him there in 2018 to serve as head coach of their Men's Olympic baseball team, where he finished with unprecedented success in the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, spiking their WBSC World Ranking from #41 to #28 in just one year under his tutelage. China then scooped up Valcke, as he became the GM and Head Coach of Panda Sport and Culture, a division of the China Olympic Federation, overseeing baseball and softball, and training the national team coaches of baseball and softball, men's and women's teams. Panda Sport and Culture is based in Zhongshan, China's nationally recognized "#1 Baseball City," located on the southeast tip of China, and has a climate much like Florida. On his own initiative, he spent his evenings working with the local coaches of Zhongshan's local amateur youth baseball teams. For the first time in history, the same city won all four 2019 China National Championship gold medals, in 18U, 15U, 12U and 10U, that city being Zhongshan! Valcke worked with the China Baseball Association and Major League Baseball in helping the world's largest country accelerate their evolution into baseball, and helped them design and build a professional baseball stadium, a 600-room dormitory, and a new HQ for Panda Sport and Culture, where he held the role of CEO, in charge of a staff of 60. Valcke, former Technical Director, and Executive Director of Baseball Canada, and former coach of Team Canada, remains a baseball analyst with CBC Canada Radio and TV. The former president/CEO of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, who spent a decade as the Canadian Supervisor with the Major League Baseball Central Scouting Bureau, served as a television broadcaster for the Montreal Expos, the GM of the Calgary Cannons Triple-A club, and the CEO/Head Coach of the World Children's Baseball Fair. He is the proud father of Alanna, Jaxon and Mia, and lucky husband of Paula since 1987. Jaxon and Mia are current star players and captains, respectively, of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds baseball and softball teams. Mia also became the second female in history to play in World Cups for Team Canada Women's baseball team as well as Team Canada Women's softball team. https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/baseball-nomad-valcke-a-top-amateur-executive http://www.wbsc.org/csta-prestige-awards-honors-tom-valcke/ https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2012/01/23/valcke-recognized-for-global-baseball-efforts/
    Tom Valcke says:

    Insert “Ashley Stephenson” into just about any sentence ever spoken about superstars Hayley Wickenheiser and Christine Sinclair, and you will capture exactly who Ashley is – she is every bit as accomplished and amazing. It’s just that baseball isn’t as popular in Canada as hockey & soccer. No player wore the uniform with more passion, pride and persistence. Ash is not a woman who is a great coach, but rather, a great coach who happens to be a woman.

    Reply
    1. cooperstownersincanada – Kevin Glew is a professional writer based in London, Ontario. His work has been featured on CBC Sports, Sportsnet.ca, MLB.com and Sympatico.ca. He has also written articles for Baseball Digest, Baseball America, The Hockey News, Sports Market Report and the Canadian Baseball Network. He has been involved with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for more than 16 years, including a two-year stint as the museum's acting curator.
      cooperstownersincanada says:

      Thanks for your comment, Tom.

      Reply
    1. cooperstownersincanada – Kevin Glew is a professional writer based in London, Ontario. His work has been featured on CBC Sports, Sportsnet.ca, MLB.com and Sympatico.ca. He has also written articles for Baseball Digest, Baseball America, The Hockey News, Sports Market Report and the Canadian Baseball Network. He has been involved with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for more than 16 years, including a two-year stint as the museum's acting curator.
      cooperstownersincanada says:

      I totally agree, Scott. Thanks for the comment.

      Reply

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