OTTAWA- Baseball Canada is pleased to announce the following individuals who have been selected as officials by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) for various Baseball World Cup events in 2019:
Shari Reiniger (Edmonton, Alberta)
Jim Baba (Ottawa, Ontario)
Stephen Gomes (Windsor, ON)
André Lachance (Gatineau, QC)
Lisa Turbitt (Burlington, Ontario)
Keith McConkey (St. Catharines, Ontario)
Don Darling (Edmonton, AB)
Jason Buitenhuis (Thunder Bay, ON)
Trevor Grieve (Oshawa, ON)
Reiniger will perform Technical Commissioner duties at two events in 2019 including the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup and the Europe/African Continental Olympic Qualifier. She recently performed the role of Technical Director at the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup in 2018 and was Technical Commissioner at the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Baba, Baseball Canada’s Executive Director, has numerous international baseball events on his resume as a Coach, Technical Commissioner and Technical Director. He will fulfill the Technical Director’s role at three major international baseball events in 2019 including the U-18 Baseball World Cup, the Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier and Pemier12 Super Round and Finals.
Gomes got his first international umpiring assignment in 2018 for the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup and will work his second event in 2019 at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. Gomes was the home plate umpire for the gold medal contest at the Canada Games in Winnipeg in 2017.
Lachance will return to the role of Technical Commissioner for the Europe/Africa Continental Olympic Qualifier event in September. Lachance managed Canada’s Women’s National Team at the last eight WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup tournaments and was Technical Commissioner at the 2015 Pan Am Games Women’s Baseball Qualifier and the 2007 Pan Am Games in Brazil.
A former minor league umpire, McConkey worked the 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay and will head to Lima, Peru in July to umpire the Pan Am Games baseball competition.
Turbitt has an impressive umpiring resume including the home plate assignment for the first-ever Women’s Baseball World Cup gold medal game back in 2004 and was Umpire Director last year at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Panama. She is a former recipient of the Dick Willis Award for Baseball Canada’s Umpire of the Year.
Darling will attend the U-18 Baseball World Cup as a scorekeeper after working the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in 2017. He was also scoring director at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
Buitenhuis worked as a scorekeeper at the 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario and followed that up at last year's Women's Baseball World Cup in Viera, Florida.
Grieve, an umpire with numerous international baseball events under his belt including two World Baseball Classic events and the 2015 Premier12, will head to Italy in September for the Europe/Africa Continental Olympic Qualifier.
