Get to know us.
Our coaches
CO-FOUNDER / LEAD INSTRUCTOR / OSU 2002-2005
Natalie Voortman
Natalie was born and raised in Canton, Ohio where she excelled in multiple sports growing up. Her true passion was fastpitch softball and she earned a scholarship to play for The Ohio State University from 2002-2005. During her collegiate career she was the starting catcher (2004, 2005), Team Captain, Buckeye Power Club Award winner for intensity and leadership in Strength and Conditioning, three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, three-time Academic All BigTen Award recipient, and an Academic All-American Nominee. In 2007, Natalie was the Head Softball Coach for Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio where she led the team to the school’s first appearance in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament and was named Region G Coach of the Year by her peers.
Natalie moved to Calgary in 2010 and has been coaching teams and individuals across Alberta for the past 13 years. She has helped run camps and clinics for Community Associations, has been an Assistant and Head Coach in the Calgary Adrenaline Fastpitch Association, and was an Assistant Coach for the UofC Dinos.
Off the field, Natalie is a wife and mother to 3 young children. She hopes her love and enthusiasm for the sport will help ignite a passion in young softball players to work hard to achieve their dreams.
CO-FOUNDER / LEAD INSTRUCTOR / WVSU 2010-2014
Jade Blackhurst
Jade was born and raised in Medicine Hat, AB. where she played softball in the summers and spent her time snowboarding in the winters. In middle school, Jade attended Notre Dame Academy as a softball athlete. Here, Jade fell even more in love with the sport and made the decision to pursue a collegiate scholarship.
From 2006-2010, Jade played for teams in Calgary and Edmonton, commuting multiple times per week. The commitment and discipline paid off and she earned a scholarship to West Virginia State University. Jade graduated in 2014 with a BSc in Biology.
Jade returned to Calgary in 2016 and has since coached camps and clinics across Alberta and been the Pitching Coach for the Calgary Adrenaline Fastpitch Association. Jade is a 200hr registered yoga teacher and brings a background of anatomy, biomechanics and movement patterns into her coaching approach.
COACH / SDSU 2016-2018
Madison Hope
Madison was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba where she played multiple sports growing up (volleyball, hockey, and softball). In grade 11, Madison was given the opportunity to play travel tournaments with the Nebraska Gold organization where she competed at the PGF Championship in Huntington Beach, California.
She was a five-time gold medalist at the Manitoba A Provincial Championships, three-time Softball Manitoba Player of the Year, Bronze Medalist at the Canadian National Championships, and competed with Team Manitoba in multiple events. She was awarded a full athletic scholarship to Loyola University of Chicago where she competed in 2014 & 2016.
In the summer of 2015 Madison was selected to the Canadian Junior National Team and attended the Junior World Championships in Oklahoma City. Madison transferred to South Dakota State University in 2016 where she earned various awards including:
All-summit League First Team (2018)
Summit League All-Tournament Team (2018)
Summit League Pitcher of the Week (x2, 2018)
Currently holds South Dakota States single season win record
Since graduating Madison has moved to Medicine Hat, AB and has been passionate about coaching female athletes. She has been offering private pitching and group lessons since 2018. She encourages and inspires female athletes to compete at the highest level possible while also becoming resilient human beings.