Ontario’s Men’s Softball team is set to make a strong showing at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with a significant portion of the team hailing from Midwestern Ontario.
The roster includes five local athletes and two coaches who will represent the province in one of Canada’s top sporting events.
Local athletes selected to the team include Alex McGillivray from Durham, Connor Paige from Hanover, Dakota McComb from Chatsworth, Jared Vosper from Mitchell, and Joe Weiler from Hepworth. Coaches Don Scott of Sebringville and Mike Mulvey of Wingham will also play critical roles in leading the squad.
Mulvey, who has experience both as a coach with the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) and as an assistant coach for this team, shared his thoughts on the local talent making waves in Ontario’s softball scene.
"This part of the province is probably the strongest in Canada. Softball was dwindling, but it's starting to come back again, especially here. We have one of the strongest areas for softball in the province, if not in Canada," he said.
The 2025 Summer Games team was chosen from a pool of 75 athletes, narrowing down to just 15 players, with many hailing from the talent-rich Midwestern Ontario region. Mulvey emphasized the strength of the roster, noting the well-rounded skill set of the players, particularly Alex McGillivray.
"Alex is going to play a key role, but he’s one of several. We’ve got three strong pitchers, a solid backup, great catching, great fielding, and every player on this team can hit the ball out of the park. Joe Weiler, for example, is a good athlete. We should have a good team," Mulvey said.
The team’s head coach, Bryan Brooks, expressed confidence in the selection, highlighting the impressive representation from Midwestern Ontario and the overall depth of talent across the province.
"It's an exciting team. We have representation from across the province, with a strong presence from the west. It’s a quality group of individuals, and they’re going to represent our province really well," Brooks said.
Brooks also praised the strides made by Western Ontario’s softball programs, attributing much of the team’s strength to the region’s dedication to the sport.
"The west is producing a lot of quality fastball players, from the youth level to the men’s level. Programs have been giving back to young adults, especially those 16 and above. This speaks to the quality of players like Alex McGillivray and others from your area who are now representing the provincial team," he said.
Brooks spoke highly of the team’s chemistry, which has been fostered over the past year during the lengthy selection process that began in June 2023.
"We tracked these athletes for the past 16 months. Every event we went to, we never saw a flaw in their character. They were always strong athletically and gelled well as a team. When building a team, you want individuals that can succeed together. Their names kept coming up, and they kept performing," he said.
The Ontario team is expected to be highly competitive in St. John’s, with Mulvey stating that the goal is to make it to the championship game.
"There are a few provinces, like Nova Scotia and Quebec, that will have strong teams, but we’re confident. A lot of these players from Midwestern Ontario already play with or against each other, so there's great sync among the team," Mulvey said.
To prepare for the 2025 Games, the team is planning a tour in spring 2025, playing exhibition games in the hometowns of the selected players. "We’ll be playing against men’s teams in these hometowns, giving these boys a chance to shine in front of their local communities," Mulvey said.
Canada returns to the 2025 games as defending champions in Men's Softball, winning gold in 2022 with a roster that featured Owen Torrie of Williamsford.