Softball Canada announced that long-time outfielder Jeff Ellsworth has been named assistant coach of the Canadian national team, joining head coach John Stuart and assistant coaches Doug Allin, John Hill and Les Howey.
The Prince Edward Island native took over as Canada junior national team head coach shortly before the beginning of the WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship 2016 and led the team to a bronze medal. Two years later, he guided the team to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 event in Prince Albert, Canada, and was reappointed to steer the national team in the inaugural U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup this past February, finishing in seventh place.
As a player, Ellsworth first appeared for the Canadian national team in 2004 and played in five WBSC World Championships. He was a key member of the world-title-winning team in 2015 in Saskatoon, Canada; and helped his team to win another three bronze medals. He also won a gold medal in the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. The highly regarded outfielder retired after the WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic, helping Canada to win the fourth bronze in Canada’s history.
The next WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be played from 19-27 February 2022 at Rosedale Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
