Baseball Canada to retire Amanda Asay's number

Photo: Baseball Canada

May 14, 2022

Baseball Canada

OTTAWA – To honour the late Amanda Asay, Baseball Canada will formally retire her No. 19 from the Women’s National Team program at a ceremony in Nelson, B.C. prior to a Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy Youth Baseball Clinic being held in her memory on Sunday.

Baseball Canada will also unveil a commemorative jersey patch that will be worn by current and former members of the Women’s National Team at the youth clinic in Nelson and later this summer when Canada takes on the United States in a five-game Friendship Series in Thunder Bay.

Asay, a member of the Women’s National Team program since 2005 and one of the most decorated female baseball players in the world, tragically lost her life after a skiing accident in January.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to honour Amanda by retiring her number and with a commemorative patch that our players and staff will wear proudly,” said Women’s National Team manager Aaron Myette who will be on hand for the ceremony. “Amanda meant a great deal to our program and baseball in Canada given her accomplishments as a player and work at the provincial and local levels including the baseball community in Nelson.

“Although she was only with us for a short time, her impact on so many is immeasurable, and we feel privileged to honour her legacy this season with a patch and knowing that no other player with the Women’s National Team going forward will wear #19.”

Joining Myette for the ceremony will be Baseball Canada CEO Jason Dickson, former teammate and current Women’s National Team coach Ashley Stephenson, business manager Penny Fitzsimmons along with current and former players Melissa Armstrong, Claire Eccles, Stacy Fournier, Liz Gilder, Becky Hartley, Nicole Luchanski, Hannah Martensen, Heidi Northcott and Alli Schroder.

Prior to her untimely passing, Asay was part of national teams that captured five WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup medals, including bronze in 2006, 2012 and 2018 and silver in 2008 and 2016. She was also part of Canada’s historic silver medal performance at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto – the first time that women’s baseball was included in a major, multi-sport games, and a two-time winner (2006, 2016) of the Women’s National Team Most Valuable Player Award.