ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Softball Canada has established Athlete of the Year awards presented by Home Run Sports (a division of Kahunaverse Sports). A total of six Athlete of the Year award recipients will be announced on an annual basis:
- Female Fast Pitch Athlete of the Year
- Male Fast Pitch Athlete of the Year
- Female Fast Pitch Minor Athlete of the Year
- Minor Male Fast Pitch Minor Athlete of the Year
- Female Slo-Pitch Athlete of the Year
- Male Slo-Pitch Athlete of the Year
The Softball Canada Awards Committee will consult with National Team coaches and Canadian Championship Supervisors to determine the recipients for each Athlete of the Year category. The recipients will be announced prior to the Softball Canada Congress.
Upon selection, and prior to final approval by the Board, the recipients' provincial or territorial association (President, Executive Director or other designated senior staff member) may be consulted to confirm the selected recipient is a member in good standing.
The name of the individuals selected as Athletes of the Year will be submitted to the Softball Canada Board of Directors for final approval.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The recipients of the six Athlete of the Year awards will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Must be a Canadian citizen / landed immigrant.
- Must be a member in good standing with Softball Canada.
- Must have represented Softball Canada at the international level; and/or
- Must have played in a Canadian Championship.
- Cannot be a previous winner.
In determining the recipients of the Athlete of the Year awards, Softball Canada will take many factors into account including, but not limited to, individual performance, team performance, experience and leadership.
2023 RECIPIENTS
FEMALE FAST PITCH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
JANET LEUNG (Mississauga, Ont.) was a force to be reckoned with on the Canadian Women’s National Team, establishing herself
as one of the world’s top shortstops. She was excellent in 2023, serving as one of Team Canada’s top offensive and defensive players. Janet was named the best shortstop at the 2023 Canada Cup in Surrey, B.C., where she helped Canada to a third-place finish. She finished the tournament with 28 at bats, 12 hits, one homerun, seven runs, three RBIs, and a 0.429 batting average. At the 2023 WBSC World Cup Group Stage in Italy, Janet’s performance was a key factor in punching Canada’s ticket to the WBSC World Cup Finals next year in Italy. In six games, she had 17 at bats, seven hits, 1 homerun, three RBIs and a .412 batting average.
MALE FAST PITCH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
TY SEBASTIAN (Brussels, Ont.) had a great year both internationally and nationally. His season began as a new member of Canada’s Men’s National Team that won the silver medal at the 2022 WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup in New Zealand. Ty had two hits including a homerun and three RBIs filling in at second base late in the tournament, and he made his first appearance in the circle for Team Canada by pitching a five-inning no-hitter against South Africa. At the 2023 Men’s Canadian Championship, he helped power his 8-0 Toronto Batmen to a Canadian title, pitching a 15-inning shutout in one of the longest finals in tournament history and was named Most Valuable Player of the Preliminary Round and Top Player of the Championship Round for his stellar performance both at the plate and in the pitching circle.
WOMEN’S SLO-PITCH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
SARAH BERRY (Acton, Ont.) dominated this season for both the Miken/Home Run Sports Miken Ladybirds and the Canadian Women’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle Team. During the 2023 Border Battle, Sarah made a significant impact, accumulating a total of 20 at-bats with an impressive batting average of .650. She emerged as a formidable force at the plate, boasting a slugging percentage of .750 with 9 RBIs. She followed that with an excellent performance at the Canadian Championships, leading her team by delivering 23 hits and driving in 22 runs with a .523 average over 11 games.
MEN’S SLO-PITCH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
REN VISSER (Squamish, B.C.) put up video game numbers at the 2023 Men’s Canadian Slo-Pitch Championship, registering 39 hits including 18 homeruns and 62 runs batted in in 14 games to help lead his SIS Busdrivers to a fourth-place finish, earning him the tournament MVP award. A few weeks earlier, he represented Team Canada at the Slo-Pitch Border Battle, registering two hits including one homerun and two runs batted in through five games in Cleveland, Ohio.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS
2023
Female Fast Pitch: Janet Leung (ON)
Male Fast Pitch: Ty Sebastian (ON)
Female Slo-Pitch: Sarah Berry (ON)
Male Slo-Pitch: Ren Visser (BC)
2022
Female Fast Pitch: Kelsey Harshman (BC)
Male Fast Pitch: Sean Cleary (NL)
Female Slo-Pitch: Melanie Gulbransen (BC)
Male Slo-Pitch: Hunter Platten (AB)
2021
Female Fast Pitch: Jenn Salling (BC)
Male Fast Pitch: Ben Ezekiel (NL)
2020
No awards (COVID-19 pandemic)
2019
Female Fast Pitch: Victoria Hayward (ON)
Male Fast Pitch: Bryan Abrey (BC)
Female Fast Pitch (Minor): Kendra Falby (FLA)
Male Fast Pitch (Minor): Connor Brooks (ON)
Female Slo-Pitch: Michelle Lorenz (ON)
Male Slo-Pitch: Justin Pennell (AB)
