(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Ben Goorts)
 Starting Pitchers Coming Series
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
The first two rounds of the 2026 season are behind us.
Reigning champion Curaçao Neptunus is still the lone team without a loss.
Neptunus opened the new season with a 3-game sweep against Oosterhout Twins and also swept HCAW in its second series.
Worldwide Pharma Logistics Hoofddorp Pioniers played its first games of the season and won two of the three games against UVV, which has no games scheduled in the upcoming series.
...Eddie Aucoin in 2013...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Pioniers had some remarkable achievements.
In the opener, Eddie Aucoin threw a complete game, 7-inning shutout.
This was the third such game this season, as Koen Postelmans and Juan Carlos Sulbarán (both Neptunus) did the same.
However, Aucoin needed the least pitches with 75.
Postelmans needed 90, Sulbarán 86.
Furthermore, Aucoin accomplished the feat at age 50.
Pioniers-leftfielder Clay Winklaar became the first player this season with a homerun in both games of a double-header.
In the opener, he homered in his first home at bat.
In the second game, centerfielder Roangeraud Fraai hit the first inside-the-park homerun.
Dayrell Pieternella, centerfielder of opponent UVV, became the first player this season with two homeruns in one game, which he accomplished in Game 2.
Coming Saturday, a former umpire will make his comeback on the field, as Aad Otsen is assigned as 1B Umpire in Game 1 of the double-header between Neptunus and Hoofddorp Pioniers in Rotterdam.
Otsen last officiated in the big league in 2023.
Otsen is also assigned as 1B Umpire on May 2 in Game 1 of the double-header between Neptunus and UVV in Vleuten.
In Game 2 of that series, another former umpire will make his comeback, as André Ficken then will be the 1B Umpire.
He last officiated a big league-game in 2022.
Currently, Otsen and Ficken are Umpire Observers (or Technical Commissioner), but they return to action due to a shortage of available umpires on the days mentioned.
This season, four umpires will make their debut in the highest league: Silvan Frolich, Finn Hooimeijer, Bram Janssens and Emiel van Toledo.
...Ben Goorts, Marco Stoovelaar, Feiko Drost...
...50 seasons Official Scorer in 2026...
(© Photo: Ben Goorts) |
The latter made his debut last Saturday in Game 1 between Hoofddorp Pioniers and UVV as 1B Umpire.
Frolich will make his debut coming Thursday-evening as 3B Umpire in the game between Oosterhout Twins and Amsterdam Pirates.
Hooimeijer will make his debut coming Saturday as 1B Umpire in Game 2 between Neptunus and Hoofddorp Pioniers.
Janssens will make his debut on April 30 as 3B Umpire in the game between Kinheim and Hoofddorp Pioniers.
Last year, Janssens won the Fred van Groningen Schinkel Award for the Most Promising Umpire.
This Award is named after the wellknown former Umpire Fred van Groningen Schinkel, who retired in 2017 during his record-setting 46th season in the Dutch baseball big league.
Currently, Van Groningen Schinkel is an Umpire Observer (Technical Commissioner).
Talking about records.
Feiko Drost, Ben Goorts and Marco Stoovelaar have started their record-extending 50th season as Official Scorer in the highest league.
And that even could be an European record.
They also are the record-holders for most seasons as Game-Official in the highest Dutch baseball and softball leagues.
Coming Saturday, Drost is one of the two Official Scorers at the double-header between Amsterdam Pirates and Oosterhout Twins in Amsterdam.
Goorts and Stoovelaar have assignments in the softball big league.
Goorts will be at double-header between De Hypotheker Olympia Haarlem and Onze Gezellen in Haarlem.
Stoovelaar will be at double-header between Sparks Haarlem and Roef!, also in Haarlem.
As an extra service, from now on, the assignments of the Game-Officials also will be listed on this page.
Beneath are the announced starting pitchers for the third 3-game series of the 2026 season that opens on Thursday-evening, April 23.
As always, these pitching assignments can change on game-days.
(April 22)
Rosters
Standings, Schedules & Scores
Live play-by-play
| Roster | WORLDWIDE PHARMA LOGISTICS HOOFDDORP PIONIERS (2-1) | vs. |
CURAÇAO NEPTUNUS (6-0) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Pioniers | G | # | Starting Pitchers Neptunus |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 52 | LHP Rik Jalvingh (1-0) | 1 | 39 | RHP Shairon Martis (2-0) | Th. April 23, 7:30 PM, Hoofddorp (1) |
| 17 | RHP Eddie Aucoin (1-0) | 2 | 88 | RHP Juan Carlos Sulbarán (2-0) | Sa. April 25, 12:00 PM, Rotterdam (2) |
| | to be decided | 3 | 30 | RHP Koen Postelmans (2-0) | Sa. April 25, 2:30 PM, Rotterdam (2) |
| Sites | (1) - ETO Ballpark, Sport Park21, Hoofddorp; (2) - Neptunus Familiestadion, Sportpark Abraham van Stolkweg, Rotterdam |
| Officials | Umpires (Roster) | Official Scorers (Roster) |
| Game 1 | HP-Peter de Haan (#52), 1B-Niek Elshof (#55), 3B-Paul Timmermans (#68) | Dennis Duin, Ronald van Langen (Data Entry) |
| Game 2 | HP-Marwin Kleinmoedig (#76), 1B-Aad Otsen (#98) | Maaike Houtkamp, Linda Steijger (Data Entry) |
| Game 3 | HP-Richard Wessel (#67), 1B-Finn Hooimeijer (#6) | Linda Steijger, Maaike Houtkamp (Data Entry) |
| Roster | HCAW (3-3) | vs. |
KINHEIM (2-4) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers HCAW | G | # | Starting Pitchers Kinheim |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 16 | RHP Kaj Timmermans (1-1) | 1 | 55 | LHP Rick Rizvić (1-0) | Th. April 23, 7:30 PM, Bussum (3) |
| 74 | RHP Kimi Verkruijssen (0-1) | 2 | 13 | RHP Noah Zavolas (0-1) | Sa. April 25, 12:00 PM, Haarlem (4) |
| 35 | RHP Koen Ghijsen (0-0) | 3 | 41 | RHP Daniel Vos (0-2) | Sa. April 25, 2:30 PM, Haarlem (4) |
| Sites | (3) - Rob Hoffmann Vallei, Sportpark 'De Sportvallei', Bussum; (4) - Pim Mulier Stadium, Pim Mulier Sportpark, Haarlem |
| Officials | Umpires (Roster) | Official Scorers (Roster) |
| Game 1 | HP-Frank Tanke (#24), 1B-Rob Has (#16), 3B-Ric Zwanenberg (#15) | Karin Pieneman, Muriel van de Wateringen (Data Entry) |
| Game 2 | HP-Niek Elshof (#55), 1B-Paul Timmermans (#68) | Sven Dobbe, Jeanette van Drunen (Data Entry) |
| Game 3 | HP-Jeroen Rekveld (#39), 1B-Peter de Haan (#52) | Jeanette van Drunen, Sven Dobbe (Data Entry) |
| Roster | OOSTERHOUT TWINS (2-4) | vs. |
AMSTERDAM PIRATES (2-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Twins | G | # | Starting Pitchers Pirates |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 21 | RHP Jurgen Zwitzer (0-2) | 1 | 3 | RHP Martijn Schoonderwoerd (0-0) | Th. April 23, 7:30 PM, Oosterhout (5) |
| 27 | LHP Nelmerson Angela (1-1) | 2 | 39 | RHP Lars Huijer (0-0) | Sa. April 25, 12:00 PM, Amsterdam (6) |
| 19 | RHP Misja Harcksen | 3 | 7 | RHP Dennis Burgersdijk (1-0) | Sa. April 25, 2:30 PM, Amsterdam (4) |
| Sites | (5) - Sportpark 'De Slotbosse Toren', Oosterhout; (6) - Loek Loevendie Ballpark, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam |
| Officials | Umpires (Roster) | Official Scorers (Roster) |
| Game 1 | HP-Edwin Louisa (#51), 1B-Marwin Kleinmoedig (#76), 3B-Silvan Frolich (#25) | Peggy De Roover, Sten Wessel (Data Entry) |
| Game 2 | HP-Ric Zwanenberg (#15), 1B-Edwin Louisa (#51) | Denise Milo, Feiko Drost (Data Entry) |
| Game 3 | HP-John Beltman (#5), 1B-Joeri de Jong (#4) | Feiko Drost, Denise Milo (Data Entry) |
|
