Shushkewich: Valcke honoured with Baseball Canada's Ashley Stephenson Award

Women’s National Team shortstop Mia Valcke (St. Marys, Ont.) received the Ashley Stephenson Award at Baseball Canada’s National Teams Awards Banquet & Fundraiser on Saturday night. Photo: Baseball Canada

January 13, 2025

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

Mia Valcke is no stranger to representing her home country.

The St. Marys, Ont. product has been donning a Maple Leaf for almost a decade, representing Canada as early as the 2016 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup when she was just 16 years old. On Saturday night, she was honoured with Baseball Canada’s Ashley Stephenson Award.

The honour is presented to a player on the Women’s National Team in recognition of their on-field accomplishments and their embodiment off the field regarding leadership and team spirit. Valcke was presented with the award at Baseball Canada’s National Teams and Awards Banquet at the Marriott Hotel in Toronto.

“I am absolutely honoured. Ashley (Stephenson) is the epitome of women’s baseball in Canada and each member of our team strives to be just like her both physically on the field and with her baseball IQ,” said Valcke. “To earn this award, I am so grateful to be recognized for my accomplishments on the field. There were so many great players on that squad who could be standing here today and I thank them and Ashley for everything.”

Valcke was a key member of the Women’s National Team that competed at the Women’s Baseball World Cup this past summer in Thunder Bay, Ont.

This was her third World Cup event, as she earned a silver medal in 2016 and a bronze with Team Canada in 2018 but this was her first time playing in front of a Canadian audience, something not lost on the veteran infielder.

“Thunder Bay is a bit isolated so I wasn’t 100% sure how many fans would show up to our games but that tournament was fantastic in terms of the crowd being into the games and just overall excitement,” said Valcke. “We got a lot of support and a lot of fans attending games, as well as tons of people who didn’t know a lot about women’s baseball in Canada and would even approach us after games to learn more. It’s exciting for the future to know people want to watch our sport and support us in the stands.”

At the tournament, Valcke was a senior member of the Canadian squad. She played shortstop and started in all six games. She went 9-for-21 (.429 batting average), collecting one double and three RBIs and posted a .976 OPS.

Mia Valcke (St. Marys, Ont.) starred at shortstop for Canada at this past summer’s Women’s World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ont. Photo: Baseball Canada

Valcke started off the tournament with two runs scored and a hit in a spirited 7-6 loss to a powerhouse squad from Japan. Another tough contest against the United States saw the Ontario product add a hit to her stat line but it was an impressive showing against Chinese Taipei in extra innings to finish off the Opening Round that saw her really showcase her talents. In that contest, she went 5-for-5 with a walk and knocked in three runs to propel Canada to 9-8 win and into the bronze medal game against Mexico.

“This was one of the first events where I felt like a veteran player on the team and took on more of that leadership role and the pressure that comes with it,” said Valcke. “And I let that get to me a bit in the first two games but I was able to switch up that mentality and look at this as an opportunity and a task that I am going to overcome and gain some confidence and momentum to finish the tournament strong.”

Across the entire tournament, Valcke split her time either in the leadoff spot or as the three- or four-hole hitter. At the plate, she would finish with a .429/.500/.476 slash line. Defensively, she contributed to three double plays at shortstop and was part of 11 putouts and seven assists.

For her efforts, she was named to the all-world team, along with teammates Sena Catterall (Pierrefonds, Que.) and Liz Gilder (Port Moody, B.C.).

“To be honoured for such an accomplishment is always a good feeling,” said Valcke. “Putting in all the training and effort over the years and always working on the diamond to get better, honours such as this help set the bar for future tournaments of where I want to be and where I think Team Canada can finish overall.”

A dual-threat athlete, Valcke played on the UBC Thunderbirds softball team from 2019 through 2023, collecting 134 hits across 135 games, including 23 doubles, seven triples, and nine home runs.

She was a member of the 2019 Canadian squad that went to the U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup in Irvine, Calif., and earned a bronze medal. In that tournament, she started all nine games, split between the corner outfield spots, and collected eight hits and one double.

While the two sports are different in many aspects, there are elements to softball that have helped Valcke on the field when she represents Team Canada in baseball tournaments.

“Softball has that faster pace given the dimensions and I think those aspects of the game, where your reaction time to plays has to be quicker and more efficient translates well to when you are playing baseball,” said Valcke. “You work under intense pressure with the pitcher being closer and the bases being closer in softball. In baseball, you have some moments where you can slow things down and execute plays at a better pace on the defensive side.”

Heading into 2025, Valcke has been selected to participate in the Women’s National Team Winter Meetings group.

While Valcke will tell you that there are many deserving candidates for the Ashley Stephenson Award, her veteran presence at the top of the lineup and on the left side of second base at last year’s World Cup event played a big part in Team Canada’s success and Baseball Canada rewarded her efforts with the honour.

Although the gold medal has eluded Valcke over the years, she will get another crack at making it back to the World Cup in 2027 in her quest to add more hardware to an already impressive trophy case.