Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada has finalized its Junior Men’s National Team coaching staff for the 2019-2020 cycle that will culminate with the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup that will be held in New Zealand in February of 2020. As previously announced, Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, P.E.I.) has been reappointed as the head coach for his third cycle. Mark Quinn (Mermaid, P.E.I.) will return as an assistant coach, while newcomers Kalen Kovitch (Prince Albert, Sask.) and Shaun Winship (Belmont, Ont.) will round out the coaching staff.
Quinn had a distinguished playing career at the club team level, competing in several Canadian Championships and has served as an assistant coach with the Junior Men’s National Team since 2015. He began his coaching career at the U13 level in New Zealand before moving back to PEI in 2008, holding various coaching positions at the Senior Men’s, U21 Men’s, U16 Girls’ and Intermediate School levels. Quinn was the pitching coach for Team PEI at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Women’s Softball and Head Coach of PEI’s Men’s Softball team at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. He is a Competition – Development Certified coach, Softball PEI’s Master Learning Facilitator and a Master Pitching Instructor with Softball Canada’s Canpitch program.
Kovitch joins the coaching with plenty of experience on and off the diamond. He is still an active player at the local level in Saskatchewan and has competed in several Provincial and Canadian Championships. He began his coaching career at the minor level in Prince Albert from 2005 to 2013, leading his teams to a total of four Provincial Championship Gold medals. From there, he moved on to the U21 level where he served as an assistant coach for Team Saskatchewan at the 2013 U21 Men’s International Championship and Head Coach of the Saskatoon Jr. A Diamondbacks from 2014 to 2016. In 2017, Kovitch led Team Saskatchewan to the Silver medal in Men’s Softball at the Canada Summer Games. He has volunteered at a number of pitching and skill clinics in Saskatchewan and was the Media Coordinator for the Host Committee of the 2018 WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship in Prince Albert.
Winship is another newcomer to the coaching staff who brings a lot of expertise in the field of pitching. He had a lengthy playing career that spanned over 30 years and has been a pitching instructor for over 20 years running numerous pitching clinics throughout Ontario between 1985 and 1997 before establishing his own business in 1999. He has been a guest coach for several teams in Ontario and internationally since 2006, and coached Western University from 2011 to 2014 which included three Canadian Collegiate Softball Association (CCSA) National Championships.
The Junior Men’s National Team will hold open evaluation camps in the late spring/early summer with a selection camp planned in August. The coaching staff will then select the team that will represent Canada at the 2020 WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup in New Zealand.
Quinn had a distinguished playing career at the club team level, competing in several Canadian Championships and has served as an assistant coach with the Junior Men’s National Team since 2015. He began his coaching career at the U13 level in New Zealand before moving back to PEI in 2008, holding various coaching positions at the Senior Men’s, U21 Men’s, U16 Girls’ and Intermediate School levels. Quinn was the pitching coach for Team PEI at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Women’s Softball and Head Coach of PEI’s Men’s Softball team at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. He is a Competition – Development Certified coach, Softball PEI’s Master Learning Facilitator and a Master Pitching Instructor with Softball Canada’s Canpitch program.
Kovitch joins the coaching with plenty of experience on and off the diamond. He is still an active player at the local level in Saskatchewan and has competed in several Provincial and Canadian Championships. He began his coaching career at the minor level in Prince Albert from 2005 to 2013, leading his teams to a total of four Provincial Championship Gold medals. From there, he moved on to the U21 level where he served as an assistant coach for Team Saskatchewan at the 2013 U21 Men’s International Championship and Head Coach of the Saskatoon Jr. A Diamondbacks from 2014 to 2016. In 2017, Kovitch led Team Saskatchewan to the Silver medal in Men’s Softball at the Canada Summer Games. He has volunteered at a number of pitching and skill clinics in Saskatchewan and was the Media Coordinator for the Host Committee of the 2018 WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship in Prince Albert.
Winship is another newcomer to the coaching staff who brings a lot of expertise in the field of pitching. He had a lengthy playing career that spanned over 30 years and has been a pitching instructor for over 20 years running numerous pitching clinics throughout Ontario between 1985 and 1997 before establishing his own business in 1999. He has been a guest coach for several teams in Ontario and internationally since 2006, and coached Western University from 2011 to 2014 which included three Canadian Collegiate Softball Association (CCSA) National Championships.
The Junior Men’s National Team will hold open evaluation camps in the late spring/early summer with a selection camp planned in August. The coaching staff will then select the team that will represent Canada at the 2020 WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup in New Zealand.
