Submitted by Nelson Baseball Association
The Nelson Baseball Association will pilot a new girls-only baseball program named in Coach Amanda (Ace) Asay’s honour this season.
The Nelson Aces is a new initiative for girls ages seven to 10 coached and supported by experienced local women coaches and one of Amanda’s teammates from Baseball Canada’s Women’s National Team, Allison Schroder.
Last spring, with support from Baseball Canada and the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy, Nelson became the epicentre of baseball in Canada for one bittersweet weekend at Queen Elizabeth Park. Nelson Baseball hosted baseball officials from across the country and dozens of Amanda’s former collegiate and Women’s National Team teammates to host a baseball clinic in her honour to inspire youth — especially girls — to play baseball.
Nearly 100 players from across the West Kootenays attended, and upon the clinic’s conclusion, the question immediately became, “How do we keep this momentum going?”
“Nobody was prepared to accept that clinic would be the end,” said Nelson Baseball president J. Stewart. “Thankfully, Coach Amanda’s influence continued to bring baseball people together. Thanks to the encouragement and commitment from her teammates, Allison Schroder and Ashley Stephenson, we leaned in together to prototype a program that would see Amanda’s legacy continue.”
The 2023 program will open modestly, first with skills training this spring followed by a fall ball season. Should the prototype indicate strong local demand, Nelson Baseball hopes to introduce girls-only seasonal play in 2024 with a vision to grow girls baseball regionally over time.
“The work Amanda started with the Nelson Baseball Association was something I felt personally compelled to continue and support in honour of the woman and athlete Amanda was,” said Schroder.
“As her close friend and teammate, I can’t think of a better way to honour her legacy than to help inspire the next generation of female athletes to play baseball through the Nelson Aces.”
Aces registration is now open, and space is extremely limited. Participation is $75. Anyone interested is encouraged to visit the Nelson Baseball Association website (https://nelsonbaseball.ca/) and its Facebook page for updates.