Baseball Canada to honour Amanda Asay, retiring No. 19 from women's national team

Baseball Canada plans to formally retire No. 19 from the women's national team program to honour Amanda Asay, who died in a skiing accident in January at age 33.

A commemorative jersey patch will also be unveiled during a ceremony on Sunday before a Toronto Blue Jays baseball academy youth clinic that will be held in her memory in Nelson, B.C., the federation said.

Asay joined the program in 2005 and helped the national team win World Cup medals on five occasions. She also helped Canada win silver at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to honour Amanda by retiring her number and with a commemorative patch that our players and staff will wear proudly," women's national team manager Aaron Myette said Saturday in a news release.

Myette, Baseball Canada chief executive officer Jason Dickson, women's national team coach Ashley Stephenson and several current and former players will be on hand for the ceremony.

Asay won the women's national team most valuable player award in 2006 and 2016.

The jersey patch will be worn this summer when Canada takes on the United States in a five-game friendship series in Thunder Bay, Ont.