© Eric McCarthy/Journal Pioneer
Jeff Ellsworth, in conference with the infielders of the P.E.I. U18 women's team he coached in 2015, was recently named an assistant coach for Canada's 2016 junior men's national team.
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ORIGINAL STORY by Eric McCarthy - The Journal Pioneer
ALBERTON -- When Dock Road's Jeff Ellsworth retired from Canada's senior men's softball team in August after collecting Pan American and World Softball gold medals, he said he hoped to get into coaching at the national level.
© Eric McCarthy/Journal Pioneer
Jeff Ellsworth, in conference with the infielders of the P.E.I. U18 women's team he coached in 2015, was recently named an assistant coach for Canada's 2016 junior men's national team.
His wait was short.
On Monday Softball Canada announced that Ellsworth is one of two people added to the National Team Coaches Pool.
The other coach they've added is Mark Quinn from Cardigan. Remarkably, Quinn is head coach of the 2017 P.EI. Canada Games men's softball team and Ellsworth is head coach of the women's team.
As part of the National Team Coaches Pool, Ellsworth and Quinn will be part of the coaching staff of the Junior Men's National Team. Head coach is Tom Doucette, Middle Musquodoboit, NS, and assistant coaches already with the team are Jean-Yves Doucet, St-Leonard-d'Aston, QC, and Todd McCulloch, Martensville, SK.
"We are extremely excited to have both Jeff and Mark join our Junior Men's National Team Coaches Pool" said Mike Branchaud, Manager of Canadian Championships and Men's National Teams at Softball Canada. "Both are young and experienced softball coaches that will bring energy to the program."
Ellsworth was part of the national team from 2006 and 2015 and participated in 17 Canadian championships from 1999 to 2015. He coached the P.E.I. Women's team at the 2009 Canada Games and since 2012 has taken P.E.I. U16 and U18 Scotiabank Reds Women's teams to four national championships
Quinn, a Competition-Development: Certified coach, Softball P.E.I.'s Master Learning Facilitator and a Master Pitching Instructor of Softball Canada's CANpitch program, has played in several Canadian and New Zealand national championships since 1996. His coaching started with the U13 level in New Zealand. Since moving back to P.E.I. in 2008 he has coached P.E.I. teams at the Senior Men's, U21 Men's, U16 Girls and intermediate school levels.
Ellsworth said everything's on target with his coaching objectives.
"This was a first goal to get involved as an assistant coach with the national team program," he said.
He noted Doucette is one of the few Level 5 coaches in Canada. "To be able to work with him and learn from him and the other assistant coaches, really looking forward to it.
He will be sticking with his job as O'Leary's recreation director and will continue to be the head coach of the P.E.I. Scotiabank Reds U21 women's team which will play in the nationals in Summerside next summer and will form the nucleus of the P.E.I. 2017 Canada Games women's team.
Ellsworth said the national coaching staff's commitment is to stay in contact with the 24 players already identified for the junior men's athletes pool, making sure they are doing their routines and their workouts.
