Amanda Asay’s knowledge of the game of baseball made her an on-field expert like no other on her team.
Her teammates on Canada’s national women’s team would gravitate to her for a quick huddle on the diamond to sort out where to position themselves on a defensive shift that gave them the best chance to adjust to a hitter and putting out a baserunner.
She had a background as a catcher and as the ace of the pitching staff Asay knew the strengths and weaknesses of opposing hitters to make the right pitch selection.
Blessed with a sharp analytical mind that paved her way a doctorate in her professional career in forestry management, Asay’s never-ending curiosity to learn the strategies of the game and desire to improve as an athlete helped make Canada a perennial World Cup medal threat for the 17 years she with the team (2005-21) and led her to individual honors as an international all-star and team MVP.
Asay’s life ended in tragedy on Jan. 7 when the 33-year-old Prince George native died in a skiing accident near her home in Nelson.
On Saturday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. at City Field (formerly known as Citizen Field), the Prince George Senior Men’s Baseball League is hosting a game as a tribute to Amanda. For local residents, it’s a chance to pay their respects to one of Canada’s all-time greatest female baseball players.
Game organizer Paul Wilson is trying to line up a team of female players and is inviting Asay’s friends and/or teammates, either on the national team or during the six years she played fastball as a teenager for the Prince George Thunderbirds. If there are enough players to form a team, they would play an all-star team selected from the five-team Prince George men’s league. Asay played several years in the league during summer breaks as a university student when local games did not conflict with her national team commitments.
“I know there are some local girls that played with here are excited, even if they played hockey with her,” said Wilson.
Asay, a multisport athlete who played hockey and softball at Brown University in Rhode Island from 2006-09, and later starred for the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team, was working for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development in Nelson at the time of her death. Six years older than any of her national teammates, Asay was being groomed to take over as head coach of the team and was she honed her teaching talents in Nelson as head coach of the city’s 14U girls team.
“I always say to people, as amazing as an athlete she was, she was an even better person just to be around,” said Wilson. “She was one of the best women’s baseball players in the world and if she was a male playing in the major leagues she’d be worth about $300 million.
“I loved it when we would talk baseball and all the places because she traveled the world playing baseball. I honestly believe if she really wanted to, she could have gotten into coaching men’s professional baseball, that how well she understood the game. I learned so much just talking to her. She was very good at coaching it and explaining it well to other people.”
Following up on her impact as a youth baseball coach, the Toronto Blue Jays got involved after Asay’s death and sponsored a youth baseball clinic in May in Nelson, which happened in conjunction with a weekend memorial event which brought several of her national teammates to the city. Her father George had thought the clinic would be in Prince George but once the Jays learned she had coached in Nelson it was decided to have it in the West Kootenay city. The national team retired her No. 19 that weekend and all the players who took part in the clinic wore “19” on their jerseys.
“It’s been so amazing what everybody has done, right from the people of Nelson, the people of Prince George, the national team, the Blue Jays, it’s incredible,” said George Asay. “Loris (Amada’s mother) and I had no idea about the extent of the impact that she had on other people’s lives.”
George says he was not surprised to learn his daughter was on track to become Canada’s coach once her playing career ended.
“She had a catcher’s background, although the national team didn’t use her for that position very much, but being a catcher is like the quarterback of a football team, you have to know everybody else’s position because you’re directing it and you’re the only one seeing the whole field,” he said.
“So you know a lot of the game and she really did have brilliant baseball mind. I taught her everything I knew and she took it way beyond that.”
Wilson says there’s a push to fast-track Asay’s entry into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame and the baseball community is talking about naming the ball diamond at City Field as a tribute to her. He said there will be opportunities for people to donate to local charities in Asay’s name.
The Prince George Youth Baseball Association is planning a girls’ baseball clinic for Sunday, Sept. 25, the day after the Asay game. More details will be released later.
