FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7th, 2011

Softball Canada Announces Men's National Team Roster for Pan American Qualifier

(Ottawa, ON) Softball Canada is very pleased to announce the Senior Men's National Team roster which will compete at the VIII Pan American Softball Championship. The event will take place in Hermosillo, Mexico from November 18-26, 2011 and will serve as a qualifier for the ISF XIII Men's World Championship, to be held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2013.

'Keeping with the National Team youth movement unveiled at the 2011 AAU Tournament in Florida, this team features four veterans from the 2009 ISF Worlds roster supported by a strong cast of young players' stated Senior Men's National Team Head Coach Don Bates. 'With team captain Ryan Wolfe absent from this event, Jeff Ellsworth will act as team captain in Hermosillo.'

The athletes who have been selected by the coaching staff to represent Canada at the 2011 Pan American Championship in Hermosillo, Mexico from November 18-26 are:

Athletes
Ryan Boland (St. John's, NL)
Sean Cleary (Harbour Main, NL)
Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI)
Blair Ezekiel (Harbour Main, NL)
Brad Ezekiel (Harbour Main, NL)
Brandon Horn (Waterloo, ON)
Mark Johnson (Glencoe, ON)
Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, BC)
Mathieu Roy (St. Gervais, QC)
Jason Sanford (Durham, NS)
Kevin Schellenberg (Squamish, BC)
Andy Skelton (Newmarket, ON)
Jeremy Tracy (Waterville, NB)
Sean Whitten (Calgary, AB)
Ben Wideman (Elmira, ON)
Brady Woods (Stonewall, MB)

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Don Bates (Saskatoon, SK)
Assistant Coach: Les Howey (Conception Bay South, NL)
Assistant Coach: John Stuart (Vancouver, BC)
Athletic Therapist: Adam Davies (Ottawa, ON)
Operations Manager: Harvey Stevenson (Saanichton, BC)

Softball Canada will also send umpire Andrew Gallant (Moncton, NB) to the event.

'We are looking forward to the Pan American Championship' said Bates. 'Our roster features some great veteran leaders including Jeff Ellsworth, Sean Whitten, Kevin Schellenberg, and Derek Mayson. The team was selected to bring a balance of speed, power, and defense. Playing this Pan American Championship in Mexico will provide valuable international experience for our younger players.'

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For more information, please contact:

Gilles LeBlanc
Manager - Marketing and Communications
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3105
gleblanc@softball.ca