FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2012

Softball Canada Men's Development Team gets ready for AAU Tournament

(Kissimmee, Florida) The 2012 Softball Canada Men's Development Team arrived in Kissimmee, Florida this past weekend for a few days of team preparations prior to competing at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) International Men's Fast Pitch tournament. The event will begin on Thursday, January 26 and will conclude on Sunday, January 29 at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

The athletes who will represent Softball Canada as members of the Men's Development Team at the event are:

1. Tyson Barkman (Abbotsford, BC)
2. Ryan Boland (St. John's, NL)
3. Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI)
4. Blair Ezekiel (Harbour Main, NL)
5. Jason Hill (St. John's, NL)
6. Adam Hiller (Elmira, ON)
7. Brandon Horn (Waterloo, ON)
8. Mark Johnson (Glencoe, ON)
9. Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, BC)
10. Brennan Pokoyoway (Saskatoon, SK)
11. Mathieu Roy (Saint-Gervais, QC)
12. Jason Sanford (Durham, NS)
13. Don Scott (Stratford, ON)
14. Jeremy Tracy (Waterville, NB)
15. Ben Wideman (Elmira, ON)
16. Brady Woods (Stonewall, MB)

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Don Bates (Saskatoon, SK)
Assistant Coach: Les Howey (Saskatoon, SK)
Assistant Coach: John Stuart (Vancouver, BC)
Assistant Coach: Glenn Boles (St. Catharines, ON)
Athletic Therapist: Adam Davies (Ottawa, ON)

Jeff Ellsworth and Derek Mayson are Men's National Team program veterans, and helped Canada win a Bronze medal at the 2009 ISF Men's World Championship in Saskatoon, SK. In addition, Tyson Barkman and Mathieu Roy are former Junior Men's National Team members, each earning a Bronze medal at the 2005 ISF Junior Men's World Championship in Summerside, PEI. The roster also features seven (7) returning players from last year's AAU Tournament.

'This Developmental Team roster features many new faces as we begin our preparations for the 2012 Pan American Qualifier and the ISF World Championship to be held in March, 2013' said Harvey Stevenson, Operations Manager for Softball Canada's National Teams. 'The AAU Tournament will allow our younger players to experience international softball and how it feels to represent Canada in a highly competitive event.'

AAU Tournament - Canadian Development Team Schedule
January 26: Canada vs. WWM Sports (Florida) - 3:00pm EST
January 26: Canada vs. Cutro (New York) - 7:00pm EST
January 27: Canada vs. Los Venezolanos (Venezuela) - 3:00pm EST
January 28: Playoff Round
January 29: Playoff Round

Visit www.softball.ca for game reports following each Softball Canada Development Team game.

-SC-

For more information, please contact:

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