Then & Now: Bradley Ezekiel — From the 2005 Canada Games to Fastpitch Greatness

Every great career has a starting point.

For Bradley Ezekiel, one of those early stages came more than two decades ago, wearing the colours of Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2005 Canada Games.

He left those Games with a bronze medal.

What followed became one of the most decorated careers produced by Newfoundland fastpitch.

Canadian championships. ISC World Championships. A world championship with Team Canada. Pan American gold. All-World selections. Individual awards.

And more than 20 years after that Canada Games appearance?

Bradley Ezekiel is still doing it.

The Beginning

A native of Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ezekiel emerged from one of Canada's richest fastpitch regions.

The 2005 Canada Games offered an early glimpse of what was coming, with Newfoundland and Labrador capturing bronze.

Only one year later, Ezekiel was a national champion, helping the Kelly's Pub Canadians capture the 2006 U23 Men's Canadian Championship.

He added another U23 Canadian title in 2009.

But the next stage of his career would take things to another level.

A Remarkable Run at the Canadian Championship

Ezekiel became a central figure during an extraordinary period of Newfoundland success at the Senior Men's Canadian Championship.

Playing with the Three Cheers Pub/Galway Hitmen program, he captured Canadian titles in:

2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2018

That's six national championships in seven years.

Along the way, Ezekiel became a six-time Canadian Championship All-Star, was named MVP of the Qualifying Round in 2015 and earned Top Batter honours in 2016.

Wearing the Maple Leaf

Ezekiel first represented Canada in 2011.

Four years later came a season that would forever be part of Canadian fastpitch history.

At the 2015 WBSC Men's World Championship, Canada captured gold.

Then came the Pan American Games.

Canada faced Venezuela for gold and trailed 1–0 before Ezekiel stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Two-run home run.

Canada 2. Venezuela 1.

That became the final score, giving Canada its seventh consecutive Pan American Games men's softball gold medal.

Canada followed its 2015 world championship with bronze medals at the 2017 and 2019 WBSC World Championships.

And Ezekiel was right in the middle of another huge moment in 2019.

With Canada and New Zealand tied 1–1 in the bronze-medal game, Ezekiel singled to left in the fifth inning, scoring Jeff Ellsworth and putting Canada ahead 2–1.

The lead held.

Another international medal—and another clutch Bradley Ezekiel hit.

Becoming an ISC Great

While Ezekiel was establishing himself internationally, he was also becoming one of the premier players in the ISC game.

With the Hill United Chiefs, Ezekiel played through one of the dominant stretches in modern men's fastpitch.

His individual résumé includes repeated ISC First Team All-World selections, including 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In 2018, he also led the ISC World Tournament in RBI.

The championships followed too, including ISC titles with Hill United.

And remarkably, the story still isn't finished.

More Than 20 Years Later...

Fast-forward to 2025.

Twenty years after that Canada Games bronze medal, Ezekiel arrived at another ISC World Tournament with Hill United.

His numbers?

.462 batting average
.632 on-base percentage
.923 slugging percentage

He homered in the ISC championship game as Hill United captured another World Tournament title.

And Bradley Ezekiel was once again named ISC First Team All-World.

In 2026, at 39 years old, he was still patrolling center field for Hill United at the ISC World Tournament, hitting .300 with six runs and seven RBI.

That's some serious longevity.

Then & Now

Look at the two photos.

One captures a young Newfoundland player representing his province at the 2005 Canada Games.

The other represents everything that came afterward.

World Champion.

Pan American Games Champion.

Canadian Champion.

ISC Champion.

Team Canada veteran.

All-World outfielder.

Softball Canada's 2021 Male Fast Pitch Athlete of the Year.

More than two decades separate the beginning of that journey from today.

And Bradley Ezekiel is still adding to the résumé.

From representing Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2005 Canada Games to becoming one of the most accomplished players of his generation.

The game changes, but the passion doesn't.

Outside The Chute
Connecting the Softball World. 🥎🎙️