Ashley Stephenson, a long-time player and coach with Canada鈥檚 women鈥檚 baseball team, is joining the Toronto Blue Jays鈥� organization as a coach.
Stephenson has been added to the Vancouver Canadian鈥檚 coaching staff for the upcoming Minor League Baseball season. The Canadians are the Blue Jays鈥� High-A affiliate are currently the only MiLB team based in Canada.
Stephenson, 40, spent 15 years as a player with Canada鈥檚 national team, helping Canada win three bronze and one silver medal at the Women鈥檚 Baseball World Cup and silver at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.
After finishing her playing career, she joined Canada as a coach in 2019 and helped the team to a bronze medal at the Women鈥檚 Pan-American Championships that year.
In 2022, she became the first woman to manage the women鈥檚 national team program when Canada played a five-game series against the United States in Thunder Bay, Ont.
She became first woman to coach at the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase in Ottawa in September.
She was the first woman to capture Baseball Canada鈥檚 Lionel Ruhr Elite Coach of the Year Award in November.
A two-sport athlete, the native of Mississauga, Ont., also played hockey in the National Women鈥檚 Hockey League and its successor, the Canadian Women鈥檚 Hockey League, from 2005 to 2012.
鈥淚 am really excited for this opportunity,鈥� Stephenson said in a release. 鈥淚鈥檝e loved baseball and the Blue Jays since I was three years old, and never really imagined that I鈥檇 be able to have a career in the game let alone with my favourite team.鈥�
