ISC Saddened by Passing of Two-Time Legends MVP Ward Gosse
Blair Setford • January 20, 2025
Ward Gosse 1968-2025
The ISC is saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Newfoundland native Ward Goss and we offer our deepest sympathies to Ward's family, teammates and friends.
Ward had a long and distinguished fastball career, being inducted into the Softball Newfoundland & Labrador Hall of Fame in 2014. At the National level, Ward played on 15 Provincial teams winning 6 Medals: 1 Gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze and was named to the All-Tournament Team on three occasions.
Internationally, he was named to the ISC Second All-World Team as a Pitcher in 2006 with Kegel Black Knights and in 2007, he was named Second Team All-American at the ASA National Championship. In 2012, he was a member of the Parry Island Hawks team that captured the ISC II Championship and was named Tournament MVP and Most Outstanding Pitcher.
In the ISC Legends 50+ division, Ward was the MVP in both 2018 and 2022 as a member of the championship-winning Sudbury Relics team.
His accomplishments in the St. John's Men's Fastball League are legion, including Rookie of the Year in 1988, Sportsmanship & Ability in 2003, 1 Triple Crown of Batting, 2 Triple Crowns of Pitching, 7 Regular Season MVPs, 10 Playoff MVPs and 11 All-League Team Selections.
Ward was a multi-sport athlete and during the fastball offseason he demonstrated a love and talent for hockey. He played for 17 years in the Senior A St. John’s Senior Hockey League and was a member of 5 Herder championship teams in 1990, 1995, 1996, 2002, and 2005. He was top defensemen in the West Coast Senior Hockey League for the 2002-2003 season. In 2019, he was inducted in the Sport Newfoundland Hall of Fame.
Outside of his stellar athletic career, Ward served in municipal government and spent more than 20 years in the Real Estate and Financial Services industry after graduating from Memorial University. He grew up in Bay Roberts and lived in the scenic town of Torbay. Ward is survived by his wife Karen of over 28 years, and was a proud father of three beautiful children Cassidy, Samuel and Makay.
Ward's presence will be missed greatly on ballfields in Newfoundland, in Ontario and across North America.
2nd Annual Clark Evans Memorial Tournament This is a qualifier for #ISCWT2026 DATES: May 23-24, 2026 LOCATION: Darnell Wright Softball Complex, 303 W. Foothills Dr, Newberg, OR 97316 ENTRY FEE: $450.00 FORMAT: Round Robin into single elimination CONTACT: Shayne Arndt UIC: To be determined ISC REP: Keith Erkenbrack
At the 2025 ISC World Tournament in North Mankato, MN, the International Softball Congress conducted its annual Board of Directors meeting. The following changes were made: 1. Long-time ISC Executive Director Larry Fisher resigned his position effective at the end of the 2025 ISC World Tournament. The ISC thanks Larry for his years of service. The ISC will continue its search for a new Executive Director to assume the role. In the interim, the duties of Executive Director will be shared amongst several in the organization. 2. Under Regional definitions, players from Oregon and Washington may play in BC in the Canada West region and be considered in-region and players from BC may play in Oregon and Washington in the US West region and be considered in-region. 3. An ad-hoc committee will be appointed to review the ISC World Tournament Host Committee contract to modernize and update the document. 4. A Legends Tournament standing committee will be struck with a mandate to oversee the ISC Legends Championship Tournament. Updated Legends rules for 2026 drafted by the Legends Committee have already been approved by the Board and posted. 5. For ISC World Tournament umpires, travel fees will increase from $2000 to $4000 for contracts starting in 2028. Similarly, game fees will increase by $5 per year starting in 2028. The ISC Umpire-in-Chief will also provide evaluations for umpires working their first ISC World Tournament. As previously announced: • The ISC will welcome Canadian players Jeff Ellsworth and Ian Fehrman, Argentine pitcher Lucas Mata, manager Jeff Borror, former ISC President Dean Oscar and long-time Gremlins sponsor Bruce Tanski to the Hall of Fame at the 2026 Induction Ceremony. For more information on the ISC, please visit www.iscfastpitch.com.