(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
 Tjerk Smeets new Technical Director KNBSB
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
Tjerk Smeets is the new Technical Director for both baseball and softball of the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Association, the KNBSB announced on Friday (December 22).
On February 1 next year, he will succeed Gijs Selderijk, who held the position since January 2015.
Selderijk will now focus more on competitions.
...Tjerk Smeets as Orange Team-Coach...
...during the 2013 World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The past 4 1/2 years, Tjerk Smeets was the Team Manager of the soccer-team of Amsterdam-based Ajax in the highest league (Honor Division).
On Thursday (December 21), Ajax separated with its 3-man coaching-staff.
The former catcher started playing baseball at ABC in Amsterdam.
Via Diemen-based club TIW-Survivors, he transfered to Amsterdam Pirates, with whom he made his debut in the Dutch Major League in 1999.
Smeets played for Amsterdam through 2005, then played the next five seasons at the highest level for Kinheim in Haarlem, before retiring.
In 2006, he was named Most Valuable Player of the Dutch big league.
The 37-year old Smeets made his debut in the Netherlands National Team duirng a 5-game exhibition series in the Netherlands against Taiwan in 2000.
He then played his next game in the Orange-squad in 2003 during the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam (Netherlands).
Since 2005, he was on the roster of the Netherlands Team through 2008.
With the Orange Team, Smeets participated in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (China), participated in one World Championship and won two titles at the European Championships.
Smeets played in 33 official games for the Netherlands Team.
In 2010, Smeets joined the coaching-staff of the national team, first as a Bullpen Coach, then as a Hitting Coach.
He also was the team's Business Manager for one-and-a-half-year.
Smeets was a member of the staff when the Orange-squad captured the title at the World Championship in Panama in 2011.
In July 2013, Smeets stepped down to assume his new position with Ajax.
He then also left his position at the Head Office of the KNBSB where he had been Manager Marketing and Sponsorfunding since November 2010.
In June of this year, Smeets briefly was back in a baseball-uniform, as he was a member of the coaching-staff of L&D Amsterdam Pirates during the European Champions Cup-tournament in Regensburg (Germany).
In a press release, KNBSB's Executive Director Bart Volkerijk stated:
,,We are extremely happy with Tjerk, who has a lot of knowledge of our sports and also combines that knowledge with experience in top sport-organizations, including the KNBSB and AFC Ajax''.
In his new position, Smeets will become responsible for the top sport programs of the Nationals Teams in both baseball and softball and will focus of the Olympic Games of 2020 and 2024.
In the same press release, Smeets stated:
,,I'm happy to return to 'my' sport.
There are many great opportunities ahead to increase the level of Dutch baseball and softball''.
(December 22)
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