(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Starting Pitchers Opening Series
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
It's time for a new season, it's almost Opening Night and Opening Weekend is approaching.
Time for the announcement of the Opening Series Starting Pitchers.
As always, Grand Slam * Stats & News will publish the starting pitchers for a new 3-games series on Wednesday.
In the previous four weeks, the nine big league-teams had exhibition-games scheduled, or participations in (international) tournaments.
Some teams had more games scheduled than others, including a few abroad.
However, due to the unfavorable weather conditions, a lot of these games rained out.
In the exhibition-season, which opened on March 4, but really went underway a week later, Amsterdam Pirates played the most games with ten and won six of them to finish in first place.
Reigning champion HCAW won five of its seven games, with one of them finishing in a tie.
DSS/Kinheim and UVV were 5-0 in the exhibition-season.
Quick Amersfoort played only two exhibition-games, its first on March 26, the second last Sunday.
Hoofddorp Pioniers and RCH Memorie Sieraden played only four games.
In the Opening Series of the 102nd season in the highest Dutch baseball-league, reigning champion HCAW meets the preceeding champion Amsterdam Pirates.
Last year, HCAW swept Curaçao Neptunus in the best-of-seven Holland Series, winning four consecutive games.
In 2019 and 2021, Pirates defeated Neptunus in the Championship Series.
In 2020, Pirates led 2-0 against Neptunus in the Holland Series, which then was abrupty halted due to new measures against the coronavirus (COVID-19).
As in each season, there are several new faces and names amongst the players of the nine big league-teams.
And there are new faces amongst the coaches.
Seven of the nine teams begin the season with a new Head Coach, with five of them making their debut in that position.
They are Jasper de Jong (Hoofddorp Pioniers), Elton Koeiman (Quick Amersfoort), Etienne Meijer (DSS/Kinheim), Greg Muller (Neptunus) and Joshua Zara (RCH-Pinguïns).
From these five, only Koeiman has coaching-experience in the big league, as he has been the Pitching Coach of both Neptunus and Twins Oosterhout.
The three most experienced Head Coaches this season are Mervin Gario (Amsterdam Pirates), Rob Hendriks (Twins Oosterhout) and Frank Koene (UVV).
Before becoming the new Head Coach of Pirates, Gario led the team of Hoofddorp Pioniers in the past five seasons.
Koene returns to the highest league for the first time sicne 2012 when he also was the Head Coach of UVV.
Before that, Koene led HCAW (2002) and Hoofddorp Pioniers (2007-2009).
Hendriks, the new Head Coach of Twins, makes his comeback as Head Coach in the highest league after 24 years.
He last led a big league-team in 1997-1999 when he was with Sparta-Feyenoord.
Danny Rombley is the fourth coach with some experience, as he returns for his second season as Head Coach of HCAW.
Beneath are the announced starting pitchers for the first 3-game series of the new 2023 season that opens on Thursday-evening, April 6 (weather permitting).
As always, these assignments can change on game-days.
(April 5)
Rosters
Live play-by-play & live-streams
| Roster | HCAW (0-0) | vs. |
AMSTERDAM PIRATES (0-0) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers HCAW | G | # | Starting Pitchers Pirates |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 39 | RHP Lars Huijer (0-0) | 1 | 34 | RHP Sven van de Sanden (0-0) | Th. April 6, 7:30 PM, Bussum (1) |
| 16 | RHP Kaj Timmermans (0-0) | 2 | 54 | LHP Nelmerson Angela (0-0) | Sa. April 8, 2:00 PM, Amsterdam (2) |
| 7 | RHP Dennis Burgersdijk (0-0) | 3 | 32 | RHP Scott Prins (0-0) | Su. April 9, 2:00 PM, Bussum (1) |
| (1) - Rob Hoffmann Vallei, Sportpark 'De Sportvallei', Bussum; (2) - Loek Loevendie Ballpark, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam |
| Roster | CURAÇAO NEPTUNUS (0-0) | vs. |
DSS/KINHEIM (0-0) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Neptunus | G | # | Starting Pitchers DSS/Kinheim |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 37 | RHP Tom de Blok (0-0) | 1 | 3 | RHP Martijn Schoonderwoerd (0-0) | Th. April 6, 7:30 PM, Rotterdam (3) |
| 39 | RHP Shairon Martis (0-0) | 2 | 27 | RHP Nick Boxelaar (0-0) | Sa. April 8, 2:00 PM, Haarlem (4) |
| 33 | RHP Kevin Kelly (0-0) | 3 | 15 | RHP Donny Breek (0-0) | Su. April 9, 2:00 PM, Rotterdam (3) |
| (3) - Neptunus Familiestadion, Sportpark Abraham van Stolkweg, Rotterdam; (4) - Pim Mulier Stadion, Pim Mulier Sportpark, Haarlem |
| Roster | HOOFDDORP PIONIERS (0-0) | vs. |
QUICK AMERSFOORT (0-0) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Pioniers | G | # | Starting Pitchers Quick |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 18 | RHP Sem Lauf (0-0) | 1 | 15 | RHP Jack Wagner (0-0) | Th. April 6, 7:30 PM, Hoofddorp (5) |
| | to be decided | 2 | 52 | LHP Jhan Rifaela (0-0) | Sa. April 8, 2:00 PM, Amersfoort (6) |
| | to be decided | 3 | 25 | LHP Brian van Laar (0-0) | Su. April 9, 2:00 PM, Hoofddorp (5) |
| (5) - XL Lease Park 'Dorrestein', Amersfoort; (6) - ETO Ballpark, Sportpark Hoofddorp Pioniers, Park21, Hoofddorp |
| Roster | RCH MEMORIE SIERADEN (0-0) | vs. |
UVV (0-0) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers RCH-Pinguïns | G | # | Starting Pitchers UVV |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 29 | RHP T'sean Martina (0-0) | 1 | 11 | LHP Aaron Isenia (0-0) | Th. April 6, 7:30 PM, Heemstede (7) |
| 17 | RHP Juan Carlos Sulbaran (0-0) | 2 | 13 | RHP Jurjen van Zijl (0-0) | Sa. April 8, 2:00 PM, Vleuten (8) |
| 66 | RHP Jeremy Young (0-0) | 3 | 18 | RHP Allard Helms (0-0) | Su. April 9, 2:00 PM, Heemstede (7) |
| (7) - Heemsteedse Sportparken, Heemstede; (8) - Sportpark 'De Paperclip', Vleuten |
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