February 12, 2016
Softball Canada Announces 2016 Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle Roster
Softball Canada – (Ottawa, ON) Softball Canada is very pleased to announce the list of athletes who have been selected to represent Team Canada at the eighth edition of the Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle, which will take place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from July 4-6.
“The Coaching staff and selection panel had a very difficult decision in picking the sixteen players to represent Canada” stated Mike Branchaud, Softball Canada’s Manager of National Teams and Canadian Championships. “There are many great players in our country and several tough decisions were made. The team this year will have experience as well as some new players that will be exciting to watch. The team is well balanced with great pitching, hitting, speed and defence.”
Team Canada will play a series of exhibition games before they take on Team USA in a one-game showdown at the Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle on July 6th. Team USA has won six of seven meetings in the annual Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle game, most recently defeating Team Canada 22-7 last year in Midland, Michigan.
The list of athletes selected to participate was chosen by the coaching staff and a panel of Slo-Pitch experts from across the country. Performance at provincial, national and international events was used as one of the major contributors to the selections. While some objective criteria were used to invite the team, it was also recognized that there was a significant subjective element. These elements included such factors as performance, experience, positional requirements, leadership and team cohesion. To be eligible to be invited, the athletes had to be members in good standing of Softball Canada as well as being Canadian citizens, or have a Permanent Resident card.
The coaching staff will consist of Josh Zanolli (Drayton Valley, AB) who will serve as the head coach and Todd Cadenhead (Mossley, ON) and Tony Carnelos (Etobicoke, ON) will serve as assistant coaches.
The following athletes have been chosen to represent Canada at the 2016 Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle:
“The Coaching staff and selection panel had a very difficult decision in picking the sixteen players to represent Canada” stated Mike Branchaud, Softball Canada’s Manager of National Teams and Canadian Championships. “There are many great players in our country and several tough decisions were made. The team this year will have experience as well as some new players that will be exciting to watch. The team is well balanced with great pitching, hitting, speed and defence.”
Team Canada will play a series of exhibition games before they take on Team USA in a one-game showdown at the Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle on July 6th. Team USA has won six of seven meetings in the annual Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle game, most recently defeating Team Canada 22-7 last year in Midland, Michigan.
The list of athletes selected to participate was chosen by the coaching staff and a panel of Slo-Pitch experts from across the country. Performance at provincial, national and international events was used as one of the major contributors to the selections. While some objective criteria were used to invite the team, it was also recognized that there was a significant subjective element. These elements included such factors as performance, experience, positional requirements, leadership and team cohesion. To be eligible to be invited, the athletes had to be members in good standing of Softball Canada as well as being Canadian citizens, or have a Permanent Resident card.
The coaching staff will consist of Josh Zanolli (Drayton Valley, AB) who will serve as the head coach and Todd Cadenhead (Mossley, ON) and Tony Carnelos (Etobicoke, ON) will serve as assistant coaches.
The following athletes have been chosen to represent Canada at the 2016 Men’s Slo-Pitch Border Battle:
Athletes
| First Name | Last Name | Hometown |
| Colin | Andrews | Hanover, ON |
| Jeff | Andrews | St. Albert, AB |
| Ted | Baker | Southport, NL |
| Jeff | Falardeau | Welland, ON |
| Olivier | Forest | St-Léonard-d’Aston, QC |
| Kyle | Knechtel | Ayr, ON |
| Mark | Kucharski | Essex, ON |
| Jason | Legault | Delson, QC |
| Steele | Lewis | Windsor, ON |
| Ron | Nadalin | Woodstock, ON |
| Todd | Newton | Niagara Falls, ON |
| Wayne | Parent | Belle River, ON |
| Chris | Parr | Chilliwack, BC |
| Justin | Pennell | Toronto, ON |
| Rob | Sich | Lasalle, ON |
| Sten | Tillberg | Vancouver, BC |
Coaching Staff
| Position | Name | Hometown |
| Head Coach | Josh Zanolli | Drayton Valley, AB |
| Assistant Coach | Todd Cadenhead | Mossley, ON |
| Assistant Coach | Tony Carnelos | Etobicoke, ON |
| Manager – National Teams | Mike Branchaud | Ottawa, ON |
-SC-
For more information, please contact:
Mike Branchaud
Manage – National Teams and Canadian Championships
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3103
mbranchaud@softball.ca