On June 7th, six new members will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ontario, bringing the total number of inductees to 167.

Canadian citizenship is not required for induction into the hall, as the list of inductees includes men and women who have made an impact on baseball in or for this country, from various aspects, including playing, coaching, volunteering, umpiring, writing, and everything in between. To be inducted, one must be nominated and then receive a sufficient number of votes from the selection committee.

Amanda Asay is set to be enshrined in the hall after a storybook career as one of the best Canadian women’s baseball players of her generation. She will be inducted posthumously, after passing away in a skiing accident in 2022 at the age of 33.

Originally joining the Canadian National Team in 2005 at the age of 17, she quickly established herself as a fixture on the world stage for the next decade and a half. In her first Women’s World Cup tournament in 2006, she was named the national team’s MVP as well as the all-tournament team first baseman. She won a bronze medal with Canada in the 2006 tournament and then took home a silver medal in the 2008 games.

Asay made her mark in Canadian baseball and sport in general in a number of ways.

After starring as a hitter in her first few years on the national team, she took home team MVP honours for her work at the plate and on the mound in the 2016 World Cup. She fired a complete game against Chinese Taipei to help Canada reach the gold medal game with a 2-1 victory. She would continue her two-way exploits over the next few tournaments, proving to be one of the most valuable players on the team year after year. All told, she won five World Cup medals with Canada, while also taking home a silver at the 2015 Pan Am Games as well as a bronze at the 2012 and 2018 World Cup tournaments.

The two-way phenom was a finalist for the Tip O’Neill award back in 2005, given annually to the best Canadian baseball player. She was also named the 7th-best female baseball player in the world by Baseball America in 2017. Asay also starred in hockey, having played for Brown University and UBC from 2007-2012 and was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. Her #19 is also retired by the Women’s National Team, and at the time of her passing, she was the longest tenured member on the squad.

Outside of baseball, Asay was working in the forestry industry as a Silvicultural Systems Researcher for the Ministry of Forests in the Nelson, BC area. Her family and the Prince George Community Foundation set up the Dr. Amanda Asay Memorial Award in her honour.