Softball Canada Names Junior Women’s National Team Coaching Staff for 2019-2020 Cycle
Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada is pleased to announce the coaching staff that has been selected for the 2019-2020 cycle, which will include the 2019 WBSC Americas U17 Women’s Qualifier and the 2020 WBSC U18 Women’s World Cup. Dates and locations for both events have yet to be determined. Melissa Finley (London, Ont.) will take on the head coaching position, with Trevor Ethier (Saskatoon, Sask.), Daniel Joly (Montreal, Que.) and Chris Jones (Oshawa, Ont.) being named assistant coaches.
The current Junior Women’s National Team coaching staff for the 2019 U18 Women’s World Cup being held in Irvine, Calif. in August remains unchanged. Head coach Keith Mackintosh (Melfort, Sask.) and assistant coach Tiffany Jordan (Guelph, Ont.) will remain in the Women’s National Team Coaches Pool following the completion of the 2019 U18 Women’s World Cup.
Melissa Finley will assume the head coaching duties after serving as an assistant coach for the team for the 2018-2019 cycle. She was previously the head coach of the Canadian Women’s Elite team in 2017 and an assistant coach with them in 2018. Finley played NCAA Softball at Princeton (2002-2005) and was part of the Canadian Women’s National Team program from 2003 to 2005, winning a Silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games. She has coached at the NCAA level since 2007 beginning at the University of Pennsylvania (2007-2012), followed by Colgate University (2012-2017) and recently completed her second season as head coach at Swarthmore College.
Trevor Ethier enters his third cycle as an assistant coach with the team, as he is currently an assistant coach with the 2019 WBSC World Cup team after helping them to a fourth-place finish at the event in 2017. Ethier is a former Men’s National Team pitcher who won Gold at the 2003 Pan American Games and Bronze at the 2009 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship. He is an NCCP Competition – Introduction Certified coach, is currently an instructor of the softball academy at Tommy Douglas High School in Saskatoon and coaches his local U19 Saskatoon Selects. He was inducted to the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame in the athlete category in 2018.
Daniel Joly joins the Junior Women’s National Team coaching staff after being named to the Women’s National Team Coaches Pool in December 2016 and serving as an assistant coach of the Canadian Elite team in 2017. He has attended several Women’s and Junior Women’s National Team Combines and Selection Camps as a guest coach. Joly was Head Coach of Team Quebec at the 2017 Canada Games and has been a coaching leader in the Quebec Rebelles program since 2002. He is an NCCP Competition – Development Certified coach and has coached Rebelles teams at several Canadian Championships. He has also served as a scout at U16 and U18/U19 Canadian Championships on behalf of the Women’s National Team program.
Chris Jones also joins the Junior Women’s National Team for the first time after serving as an assistant coach of the Canadian Women’s Elite team in 2018. He has worked with the Women’s National Team infielders since being named to the Coaches Pool in 2016 and was an instructor at the Regional Skill Development Academy in Ontario. Jones is a former Men’s National Team player and captain, having played on numerous Men’s Canadian Championship and ISC teams. He is an NCCP Competition – Development Trained coach who is extremely knowledgeable in the area of defensive fielding and is a skilled instructor on short game skills on offense. He is also the Head Coach of Team Ontario for the Niagara 2021 Canada Games.
Softball Canada held a pair of 2019/2020 Junior Women’s National Team Combines in Ontario and British Columbia earlier this month, with a third Combine scheduled to take place July 3rd in Saskatoon. As per the 2019 Qualifier Selection Criteria, the coaching staff will scout various events this summer including the U16 and U19 Canadian Championships, with the final roster for the WBSC Americas Qualifier expected to be named by August 31, 2019.
