March 8, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

When Ashley Stephenson receives her plaque on stage on June 15 in St. Marys, Ont., she will become the first member of the Women’s National Team to be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

“I played baseball because I love the game. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d play for my country and have some of the experiences and opportunities I’ve had,” said Stephenson after being told she had been elected to the Canadian ball hall in early February. “I hope girls and women see this as an example of what you can do through hard work, dedication and perseverance.”

Stephenson doesn’t have to worry about that.

Girls and women definitely see her as an example and an inspiration, so much so that a grassroots Facebook campaign has been initiated to encourage as many female players from across the country to come see Stephenson be inducted.

“The induction of Ashley Stephenson is a huge moment for the female baseball movement within our country. We would like to get every young lady who’s interested in the game of baseball to be in attendance that day to see this monumental moment in baseball history,” wrote Scott Hillman, head coach of the Ontario Trailblazers women’s team and co-organizer of the campaign on Facebook on February 25.

“There will be many more details to come but I wanted to get the notice out there. She deserves this recognition, and every young girl who dreams of playing this game or would like to be inspired by one of the greatest leaders ever, deserves to be there to witness this.”

Born in Mississauga, Ont., in 1982, Stephenson is widely regarded as the best player in Women’s National Team history. A member of the first Women’s National Team in 2004, she excelled for the squad for 15 seasons and competed in eight World Cups.  

She helped lead the national squad to seven medals, including silvers at the WBSC Women’s World Cups in 2008 and 2016 and at the Pan Am Games in 2015. She was also a force on four bronze medal-winning teams at the World Cup (2004, 2006, 2012, 2018). In her final World Cup appearance in 2018, she batted .455 with eight RBIs. 

Along the way, Stephenson was named Women’s National Team MVP twice (2005, 2008) and an All-Tournament All-Star at the 2008 World Cup. 

In 2011 and 2016, she was the recipient of Baseball Canada’s Jimmy Rattlesnake Award, an honour handed out annually to recognize a national team member who demonstrated “outstanding ability and sportsmanship.” In a testament to how highly Stevenson is regarded, this award was renamed after her in 2018. 

After concluding her playing career, Stephenson became a coach and was part of the Women’s National Team staff that led Canada to a bronze medal at the COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships in 2019. 

Three years later, she became the first woman to manage the Women’s National Team when she was the dugout boss for their five-game series against the United States in Thunder Bay, Ont. In that same year, Stephenson 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 August 2022, she was invited to the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla., where she served as a guest coach with their Florida Complex League club. Stephenson would make history again that November when she became the first woman to capture Baseball Canada’s Lionel Ruhr Elite Coach of the Year Award. 

In 2023, Stephenson was hired as a position coach by the Blue Jays’ High-A Vancouver Canadians. She will return to this role this season. 

A highly respected ambassador for baseball nationally and internationally, Stephenson also served as a member of the WBSC Athletes Commission from 2018 to 2022. Last year, she was named a finalist for SABR’s prestigious Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented annually to a recipient who has demonstrated “sustained involvement in women’s baseball.” 

“The Hall of Fame is forever,” said Stephenson of her Canadian ball hall induction. “I’m so incredibly honoured to be a part of it!”

Speaking as a longtime volunteer and associate of the Canadian ball hall, it’s truly an honour to have her as part of it.