Ashley Stephenson

{{about||the British horticulturalist and Bailiff of the Royal Parks|Ashley Stephenson (horticulturalist)}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| image = Ashley Stephenson Baseball Ontario.png

| image_size = 230px

| alt =

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|11|22}}

| birth_place = Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 7

| weight_lb = 140

| position =

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| played_for = {{plainlist|

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| sex = f

| ntl_team =

| career_start = 2000

| career_end = 2012

| website =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{ON}} }}

{{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }}

| module = {{Infobox baseball biography

| embed = yes

| hofcolor= #EC1C40

| hoflink= Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

| hoftype= Canadian

| hofdate= 2024

}}

Ashley Stephenson (born November 22, 1982) is a former two-sport athlete from Ontario who played baseball for Canada women's national baseball team and ice hockey in the original NWHL and the CWHL. She won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.{{cite web |url=http://results.toronto2015.org/IRS/en/baseball/event-overview-women.htm |title=Baseball - Event Overview - Women |website=Toronto2015.org |publisher=Pan American Games |accessdate=January 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924184709/http://results.toronto2015.org/IRS/en/baseball/event-overview-women.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://results.toronto2015.org/IRS/resTO2015/pdf/TO2015/BB/TO2015_BB_C33_BBW400000C_CAN.pdf |title=Baseball: Women: Team Roster: CAN - Canada |website=Toronto2015.org |publisher=Pan American Games |accessdate=January 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111427/http://results.toronto2015.org/IRS/resTO2015/pdf/TO2015/BB/TO2015_BB_C33_BBW400000C_CAN.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://baseball.ca/canadian-womens-baseball-team-named-for-toronto-2015-pan-am-games|title=Baseball Canada | Canadian Women's Baseball Team Named for TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games}}

Playing career

=Hockey=

Stephenson played her university hockey with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's ice hockey program from 2000 through 2005. Having won four Ontario University Athletics conference titles (2002, 2004–06), she was part of the Golden Hawks team that claimed the CIS National Championship in 2005.

In addition, she was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the CIS National Championship tournament. Recognized as a CIS First-Team All-Canadian in 2006, she was inducted into the Golden Hawks Hall of Fame in 2011.

A member of the Brampton Thunder from 2005 to 2007, she played for the Mississauga Chiefs from 2007 to 2010. Among the highlights of her time with the Chiefs, she competed in the inaugural CWHL season (2007–08) and earned a gold medal at the 2008 Esso women's hockey nationals.[http://www.laurierathletics.com/createarticle.php?ID=3505&String=Ashley Stephenson]

Claimed by the Thunder in the 2010 CWHL Draft, she would join the Burlington Barracudas. Competing with the Barracudas from 2010 to 2012, she was part of their final season (2011–12). The final goal of her career stood as the game-winning goal{{cite web| url = http://cwhl_site.stats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=1740865| title = Facebook}} in a December 18, 2011 match against the Toronto Furies, which would also prove to be the final win in Barracudas franchise history.{{cite web| url = http://cwhl_site.stats.pointstreak.com/leagueschedule.html?leagueid=1113&seasonid=8067| title = Facebook}}

After suffering her seventh concussion, Stephenson was forced to retire from hockey. Heading into the 2012–13 CWHL season, she served as an assistant coach to Sommer West with the Toronto Furies.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2013/04/03/new_diamonds_womens_teams_best_friend.html|title = New diamonds women's team's best friend|newspaper = The Toronto Star|date = 3 April 2013|last1 = Gillespie|first1 = Kerry}}

=Baseball=

Stephenson and teammate Kate Psota have both participated with the Canadian national women's baseball team in every IBAF World Cup between 2004 and 2018. The team claimed six medals, four bronze (2004, 2006, 2012 and 2018) and two silver (2008 and 2016). At the 2008 Women's Baseball World Cup, she led all players with five stolen bases.

During the 2010 International Series in Cary, North Carolina, Ashley logged a .444 batting average as Canada prevailed in 4 out of 6 games against the United States. In 2011, she would be recognized for her contributions to the national team as the recipient of Baseball Canada's Jimmy Rattlesnake Award, which in recent years was renamed in her honour.

During 2015, she was one of three women, including teammate Autumn Mills, who served as instructors at the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy.

In 2019 she retired from international baseball as an active player although has continued as a coach.{{cite web |last1=Staffieri |first1=Mark |title=Golden Hawks hockey alum Ashley Stephenson retires from Baseball Canada |url=https://womenshockeylife.com/golden-hawks-hockey-alum-ashley-stephenson-retires-from-baseball-canada/ |website=WomensHockeyLife |date=May 2019 |access-date=9 May 2021}}

Coaching career

In 2023, Stephenson was hired as a coach for the minor league Vancouver Canadians.{{Cite web |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Ashley Stephenson to join Vancouver Canadians coaching staff for 2023 season |url=https://www.baseball.ca/ashley-stephenson-to-join-vancouver-canadians-coaching-staff-for-2023-season |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Baseball Canada}}

Awards and honours

=Hockey=

2002-03 OUA Women's Hockey Second Team All-Star
2003-04 OUA Women's Hockey First Team All-Star
2004-05 OUA Women's Hockey First Team All-Star
2005-06 OUA Women's Hockey First Team All-Star
2004-05 CIS Women's Hockey Championship Tournament MVP
2004-05 CIS Women's Hockey Second Team All-Canadian
2004-05 CIS Women's Hockey Championship Tournament All-Star
2005-06 CIS Women's Hockey Championship Tournament All-Star
CIS First-Team All-Canadian (2006)
2005-06 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Team Most Valuable Player
Golden Hawks Hall of Fame in 2011[http://www.laurierathletics.com/createarticle.php?ID=5553&String=Ashley Stephenson]

=Baseball=

Canadian National Women's Baseball Team MVP Award (2005, 2008)
2008 IBAF World Cup Tournament All-Star (Third Base)
2011 Baseball Canada Jimmy Rattlesnake Award{{Cite web |url=http://www.nccp.baseball.ca/eng_news_story.cfm?NewsID=2023 |title=Baseball Canada Annual awards handed out at Baseball Canada Convention |access-date=2015-07-02 |archive-date=2015-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703142540/http://www.nccp.baseball.ca/eng_news_story.cfm?NewsID=2023 |url-status=dead }}

Personal

Stephenson graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in kinesiology. She would continue her education at Brock University, earning a Bachelor of Education. Currently, she is employed as a physical education teacher.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}