(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
  Amsterdam Baseball unveils ELB roster and staff
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Amsterdam Baseball has unveiled its roster and coaching staff of the team that will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Euro League Baseball.
Amsterdam is one of four teams that will play in the first professional European baseball-league.
The other teams are Draci Brno (Czech Republic), Münich-Haar Disciples and Buchbinder Regensburg Legionäre (both Germany).
Each team will play a 12-game schedule, meeting each team four times.
The season opens on April 19 with Draci Brno hosting Regensburg Legionäre.
Amsterdam Baseball will play its first two games on May 15 and 16 at home and then meets Draci Brno.
The team will play its home games at Sportpark Ookmeer, which also is the home site of big league-squad L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
...Ronald Jaarsma...
...Head Coach Amsterdam Baseball...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Ronald Jaarsma will be the Head Coach of the team.
Jaarsma also will serve as 3B Coach of Dutch big league-squad L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
Jaarsma will be assisted by Ralph Milliard and Jurjan Koenen, who both have been the Head Coach of HCAW in the past.
Jaarsma, Milliard and Koenen all have played in the Netherlands National Baseball Team, while Milliard also has played in the Major League.
The Amsterdam-roster is filled with several (former) National Team-players and current players from the Dutch big league.
One of the players who will wear the Amsterdam-shirt is outfielder Dirk van 't Klooster, who initially retired after the 2015 season when he played in the Dutch big league for Vaessen Pioniers.
Van 't Klooster is the all-time hit recordholder in Dutch big league-baseball.
17 players of the 24-man roster are currently also on the roster of L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
The lone players that are not on the ELB-roster are pitchers Rob Cordemans and Kevin Heijstek, infielders Jorin van Amstel and Nick Urbanus and outfielder Gilmer Lampe.
While most players are coming from L&D Amsterdam Pirates, that club (which joined the ELB in September) made its clear in the past few months, as did Dutch champion Curaçao Neptunus, that it would participate as a team only when it would be possible financially.
Both Amsterdam Pirates and Neptunus support the objective of the European Association of Professional Baseball.
In a statement, ELB-President Wim van den Hurk said:
,,We’re very happy with the great team Amsterdam has put together.
Amsterdam should be able to compete for the ELB 2016 Championship Crown and its home games at Sportpark Ookmeer will offer great family entertainment on and off the field''.
The Amsterdam Baseball-roster looks as follows:
Pitchers (11):
Tom de Blok, Dennis Burgersdijk, Daan Hendrix, Jos de Jong, Elton Koeiman, Jurriaan Koks, Kevin Miner, Chris Mowday, Robin Schel, Pim Walsma, Kyle Ward.
Catchers (3):
Max Clarijs, Rashid Gerard, Danny Vader.
Infielders (5):
Jesse Aussems, Kenny Berkenbosch, Patrick Bok, Michael Duursma, Percy Isenia.
Outfielders (5):
Linoy Croes, Remco Draijer, Dirk van 't Klooster, Koen Nooij, Danny Rombley.
(April 3)
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