Ashley Stephenson’s importance to Canadian baseball is illustrated by one of the many awards she has earned on her path to the Hall of Fame. After winning the Jimmy Rattlesnake Award in both 2011 and 2016, the prize was renamed in her honour in 2018, reflecting how she embodies the Canadian National Team’s values of athletic accomplishment, leadership and team spirit. Stephenson has consistently remained on the leading edge of advancements in Canadian women’s baseball, and today she is widely recognized as the best player in the history of the Women’s National Team.
Born in Mississauga, Ontario in 1982, Stephenson was a member of the inaugural Women’s National Team in 2004. She helped her team to numerous victories over her fifteen-year playing career, including two silver medals (2016, 2018) and four bronze medals (2004, 2006, 2012, 2018) at the WBSC Women’s World Cup. She was also a member of the squad that secured a silver medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games.
Following her final World Cup appearance in 2018, Stephenson graduated from player to coach. She worked as the dugout boss for the Women National Team’s square-off against the United States in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2022, thereby becoming the first woman to manage the Women’s National Team. The following year in 2023, Stephenson was brought on as a coach for the High-A Toronto Blue Jays affiliate Vancouver Canadians, and became the second female coach in Jays history.
See the Artifacts
Stephenson wore this practice jersey during her first season on the coaching staff of the Vancouver Canadians in 2023.
She is slated to return to the team for the 2024 season.
This Wilson A2000 glove was used by Ashley Stephenson during her 2013-2016 seasons. She used similar Wilson gloves during her 15-season career as perhaps the greatest player in Women’s Canadian National Team history.
Mizuno Turf Shoes worn by Ashley Stephenson during her 15-season career with the Women’s Canadian National Team.
