Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada is pleased to announce that Keith Mackintosh (Melfort, Sask.) will return as the Head Coach of the Junior Women’s National Team program for the 2018-2019 cycle. Joining Mackintosh on the coaching staff will be assistant coaches Trevor Ethier (Saskatoon, Sask.), Melissa Finley (London, Ont.) and Tiffany Jordan (Guelph, Ont.).
“I'm very excited at the opportunity to coach the best junior softball players in Canada” stated Mackintosh. “Our goal is to continue pushing for a medal result after coming very close with fourth-place finishes in 2015 and 2017. We look forward to building up our team for the 2019 WBSC World Championship in Irvine, California.”
Keith Mackintosh returns for his fourth Junior Women’s National Team cycle and his second as Head Coach. He helped guide Canada to a fifth-place finish at the 2013 WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Championship in Brampton, Ont. and a fourth-place finish at the 2015 event in Oklahoma City, Okla. as an assistant coach before taking the helm in 2016 and leading the team to a fourth place finish this past summer in Clearwater, Fla. As an athlete, Mackintosh was a member of the Canadian Men’s National Team from 1999 to 2009, winning a Pan American Games Gold medal in 2003 along with two WBSC Men’s World Championship appearance in 2000 (fourth) and 2009 (Bronze). He is a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Competition – Development Certified coach.
Trevor Ethier enters his second cycle as an assistant coach with the team after helping them to a fourth place finish in 2017. He is a former Men’s National Team pitcher who won Gold at the 2003 Pan American Games and Bronze at the 2009 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship. Ethier is currently an instructor of the high school softball academy at Tommy Douglas High School in Saskatoon and coached a local U16 club team the past two summers.
Melissa Finley will join the Junior Women’s National Team program as an assistant coach after serving as the Head Coach of the Canadian Elite Team in 2017. She played NCAA Softball at Princeton (2002-2005) and was part of the Canadian Women’s National Team program from 2003 to 2005, winning a Silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games. Finley has coached at the NCAA level since 2007 beginning at the University of Pennsylvania (2007-2012), followed by Colgate University (2012-2017) and recently took on the head coaching position at Swarthmore College.
Tiffany Jordan returns to the Junior Women’s National Team program after serving as the Team Manager in 2017. She was involved in the Women’s National Team program from 2003 to 2005 and won a Silver medal with Team Canada at the 2003 Pan American Games team in the Dominican Republic. Jordan attended Youngstown State University in Ohio from 2003 to 2006 and coached at the school from 2008 to 2014 before moving to the University of Central Florida in 2014, where she is currently working as an assistant coach.
The Junior Women’s National Team program will be running a series of combines across the country beginning in the Spring of 2018. These athlete testing events will focus on physical and technical skills. Following the combines, the coaching staff will scout various tournaments and championships throughout the country.
“I'm very excited at the opportunity to coach the best junior softball players in Canada” stated Mackintosh. “Our goal is to continue pushing for a medal result after coming very close with fourth-place finishes in 2015 and 2017. We look forward to building up our team for the 2019 WBSC World Championship in Irvine, California.”
Keith Mackintosh returns for his fourth Junior Women’s National Team cycle and his second as Head Coach. He helped guide Canada to a fifth-place finish at the 2013 WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Championship in Brampton, Ont. and a fourth-place finish at the 2015 event in Oklahoma City, Okla. as an assistant coach before taking the helm in 2016 and leading the team to a fourth place finish this past summer in Clearwater, Fla. As an athlete, Mackintosh was a member of the Canadian Men’s National Team from 1999 to 2009, winning a Pan American Games Gold medal in 2003 along with two WBSC Men’s World Championship appearance in 2000 (fourth) and 2009 (Bronze). He is a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Competition – Development Certified coach.
Trevor Ethier enters his second cycle as an assistant coach with the team after helping them to a fourth place finish in 2017. He is a former Men’s National Team pitcher who won Gold at the 2003 Pan American Games and Bronze at the 2009 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship. Ethier is currently an instructor of the high school softball academy at Tommy Douglas High School in Saskatoon and coached a local U16 club team the past two summers.
Melissa Finley will join the Junior Women’s National Team program as an assistant coach after serving as the Head Coach of the Canadian Elite Team in 2017. She played NCAA Softball at Princeton (2002-2005) and was part of the Canadian Women’s National Team program from 2003 to 2005, winning a Silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games. Finley has coached at the NCAA level since 2007 beginning at the University of Pennsylvania (2007-2012), followed by Colgate University (2012-2017) and recently took on the head coaching position at Swarthmore College.
Tiffany Jordan returns to the Junior Women’s National Team program after serving as the Team Manager in 2017. She was involved in the Women’s National Team program from 2003 to 2005 and won a Silver medal with Team Canada at the 2003 Pan American Games team in the Dominican Republic. Jordan attended Youngstown State University in Ohio from 2003 to 2006 and coached at the school from 2008 to 2014 before moving to the University of Central Florida in 2014, where she is currently working as an assistant coach.
The Junior Women’s National Team program will be running a series of combines across the country beginning in the Spring of 2018. These athlete testing events will focus on physical and technical skills. Following the combines, the coaching staff will scout various tournaments and championships throughout the country.
