(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen, Fred Versluis & Marco Stoovelaar)
 Quiet transfer-period in Golden League; 2016 will be interesting season
Nederlands
     HAARLEM / SANTPOORT-ZUID / ENSCHEDE / ALKMAAR / OOSTERHOUT (Neth.) -
The transfer-period in the Golden League and Silver League Softball ended on Tuesday (December 1) at 5 PM.
And it was a relatively quiet period with not that much transfers.
However, there were four suprising transfers, involving four players of the Netherlands National Softball Team.
Three of them were already announced in October, as righthanded pitcher Dagmar Bloeming and outfielders Nathalie Gosewehr and Areke Spel left Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem to play for DSS in the new season.
The fourth transfer was confirmed recently, as righthanded pitcher Ginger de Weert switched from Terrasvogels to Sparks Haarlem.
Looking to the transfers that were made by the six teams, one can conclude that the 2016 season can become a very interesting one.
Sparks Haarlem, Olympia Haarlem and Terrasvogels almost surely will remain the top-3 next year.
However, DSS has become stronger, Tex Town Tigers remained the same and Twins is unpredictable at this moment.
That means, that this trio can surprise against the current top-3.
With that, the contention for the fourth spot in the Play-Offs and maybe even two spots in the top-4 can become very suspenseful in the 2016 season!
A look at the changes in the Silver League follows later this week.
Complete overview Golden League-transfers and coaching-staffs 2016
Reigning softball-champion Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem has lost experience with the departure of the above mentioned trio.
Areke Spel led the team and the league in runs batted in (49), while Nathalie Gosewehr was second in runs scored (40, second best in the league).
Dagmar Bloeming was 8-0, had an 0.49 ERA and struckout 52 batters.
The team added seven new players, which gave it some more depth in case of injuries or absence of players.
This year, it partially had to do without pitcher Dagmar Bloeming and 3B Virginie Anneveld (who played professionally in the NPF), while outfielder Saskia Kosterink didn't play for the team this season.
As there also were some injuries, the team added four former players to its squad in the middle of the season to help them out.
In the beginning of next season, Sparks Haarlem will have to do without infielders Manoa Weijgertse and Damishah Charles, who both will play college-softball through the beginning of May.
Besides that, Virginie Anneveld, who currently is active in New Zealand, might return to play in the professional National Pro Fastpitch next year.
Righthanded pitcher Ginger de Weert joins the pitching-staff.
This was led this season by Kirsten Scheele, who finished with a 17-2 record, an 1.84 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched.
De Weert was 12-3 in her fifth season with Terrasvogels and led the league with an 1.39 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
The team also added righthanded pitcher Leonella Elizabeth, who played for Alcmaria Victrix two years ago and then also was on the preliminary roster of the Netherlands National Team.
Also coming to Haarlem is catcher Tammie Lijbers (Twins).
Maaike Blaauwgeers (TIW-Survivors) and Desiree Adriaansz (Olympia Haarlem) will be candidates to fill the gap in the outfield now that Nathalie Gosewehr and Areke Spel are gone.
Jenny Kinburn (Ban-Topa Future Stars) and Kehli Washington (Gryphons) will be candidates for the infield, especially in case of the absence of Weijgertse and Charles.
And in case Anneveld returns to the USA.
Besides that, short stop Chantal Versluis sees more and more action in the outfield.
This year, the veteran player had another great season, as she led the league in batting average (.490), slugging average (.808), runs scored (52) and basehits (51).
Powerhitter Karin Tuk led the league again with seven homeruns, sharing the lead with now former teammate Areke Spel.
She was second in the league with 38 runs batted in.
...Chantal Versluis... | 
...Karin Tuk... |
| (© Both Photos: Fred Versluis) |
FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem, which this season reached the Holland Series, lost two players and added a talented young pitcher.
With that, the team pretty much stayed the same.
It also made a great addition to its coaching-staff.
Pitcher/outfielder Dominique Sprengers, who this season was on the preliminary roster of the Netherlands National Team, returned to DSS, where she had made her big league-debut some years ago.
Outfielder Desiree Adriaansz moved to Sparks Haarlem, while American pitcher and utility player Stephanie Tofft returned to the USA.
The latter led the team in hitting (.458).
The team added only one player, righthanded pitcher Roos-Marijn Kramer, who comes from HCAW.
This year, she also played for the Talent Team Holland (Dutch Junior Team).
Olympia Haarlem also announced that it will add two foreign players to its roster for next season.
Olympia Haarlem can look back to a successfull season in which it was led for the first time by the enthousiastic Stanley Doney.
The coaching-staff will be expanded with former player Laura Burggraaf and Kate Gentile.
The latter will be a great addition for the team, as she will handle the battery.
Gentile played for Terrasvogels for five seasons (2010-2014) after having active in the Italian League.
She also has been a member of the Italian National Teams in various international events.
This year, she played slowpitch at Terrasvogels with the Santpoort Selfies.
Both Burggraaf and Gentile are listed as playing coaches, but their priority will be the coaching.
This season, Olympia Haarlem had seven players who finished the season hitting above .350.
Three of them batted above .400, being Stephanie Tofft (.458), Eva Voortman (.435) and Mariëlle Vleugels (.420).
Voortman led the team in runs scored (38) with Dinet Oosting, while Vleugels led the team in runs batted in (32).
...Eva Voortman... | 
...Mariëlle Vleugels... |
| (© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
...Nienke Verhofstad...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Terrasvogels lost an important pitcher, but will add a foreign pitcher to its roster for next season.
The team added three young and talented players.
As mentioned, pitcher Ginger de Weert left after having played five seasons for Terrasvogels.
Catcher and utility player Myrthe Smid, who played three year for the team, is returning to Tex Town Tigers, as she will continue her study in the Enschede-area.
Pitcher Anna-Bè Bartels, who also played at third base several times, also decided to play for the Enschede-team, where she also played in 2007.
Terrasvogels, which will be led next season by new Head Coach Nick Braakman, added three new young players.
Pitcher Nienke Verhofstad (Alcmaria Victrix), catcher Rhowan Stuart (Amsterdam Pirates) and infielder/outfielder Dervisa Mutic (HCAW) are coming to Santpoort.
Terrasvogels will have a mix of experience and talent in the team.
Despite their young age, most players have several big league-seasons on their résumé, but also played in national teams.
Six players hit .300 or better this season, led by Kimberly Jones (.375), who also led the team in runs scored (38) and stolen bases (19).
Lizzie Clarijs led the team in runs batted in (32).
Jessie van Aalst and Marisèla de Wind were the most productive duo in runs scored and batted in combined.
Van Aalst scored 29 runs and batted in 27, while De Wind scored 26 and batted in 26.
Rookie Ella Krommendijk was second-best in the team with 31 runs scored.
Pitcher Malou van Dusschoten had a fine season, winning nine games and striking out 102 batters (third in the league), while registering two No-Hitters.
...Kimberly Jones...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
...Malou van Dusschoten...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
...Nadine Marinus & Myrthe Smid...
...teammates again in 2016...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Tex Town Tigers, which reached the Play-Offs on the final day of the season, has lost no players during the transfer-period and added two.
And so, the Enschede-team will remain a contender for the top-four.
Catcher/outfielder Myrthe Smid and pitcher Anna-Bè Bartels were added to the team, both coming from Terrasvogels.
They are the only additions to the team, which almost remained intact.
As of now, Canadian pitcher Alana Westerhof will not return to Enschede.
She won six games for the team, but also had an important contribution offensively, batting in 19 runs, scoring 23 and hitting three homeruns.
The team will not add a foreign pitcher, as it has six talented pitchers on its roster.
Annemiek Jansen, Nadine Marinus and Laura Wissink led the team in hitting, as they led in several categories.
Jansen was the leading hitter (.406) and led in runs scored (28), while Wissink led in runs batted in (25).
Jansen and Marinus delivered the most basehits (41).
And this trio will be back in Enschede next season.
Also planning to return is currently pregnant pitcher Lindsey Meadows.
...Dagmar Bloeming...
(© Photo: Fred Versluis) |
DSS has gained the most in the transfer-period by adding four strong players to its roster.
On the other hand, five players also left, but overall, DSS almost surely will be the team to keep an eye on, as it has become a serious contender for a spot in the Play-Offs.
With the addition of Dagmar Bloeming, Nathalie Gosewehr, Areke Spel and Dominique Sprengers, DSS immediately transfored into a top-four candidate for next season.
DSS probably also will add a foreign catcher.
DSS already announced the coming of Bloeming, Gosewehr and Spel on October 26.
...Quincey Catsburg...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Two days later, it reported that Sprengers was returning to the club.
Five players left the Haarlem-team, pitcher Puck van der Kolk, catcher Madelon Paauwe, infielders Eva Halman and Judith van Tiel and outfielder Anouk in den Kleef.
The first will play for Quick Amersfoort next season,while the other retired or will play on a lower level within the club.
While they all didn't play the full season, their experience might be missed in the team.
The team's leading hitters will all return.
3B/SS Morgan Sampson led the team in hitting (.356) and basehits (36), 2B Annemiek de Rover led in runs batted in (20) and outfielder Denice van Dijk scored the most runs (20).
Quincey Catsburg led the pitching-staff with 89 strikeouts, while issuing only 33 walks in 95 2/3 inning.
...Frank Zaal... | 
...Shauni Thys... |
| (© Both Photos: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Twins will make its comeback in the highest division next year.
The team had a great season in the Silver League, won the championship and promoted.
American pitcher Kaitlyn Medlam will return next year and with that, Twins will become a team that can surprise in 2016.
Besides losing catcher Tammie Lijbers to Sparks Haarlem, the team also saw 1B Shauni Thys (Roef!) and pitcher Michelle Edgtton (back to Australia) leave.
Coming to Twins is infielder Michelle van Bodegom, who played for Zwijndrecht this season in the Silver League and now will make her big league-debut next year.
Twins will be led by Head Coach Frank Zaal.
He succeeded Daisy de Peinder, who stepped down after becoming a mother a few months ago.
Zaal already was in charge of the team, while De Peinder was on maternity leave.
...Melvin Brown...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Alcmaria Victrix remained winless this season and relegated after losing the Promotion/Relegation Play-Off against Twins.
The team from Alkmaar played with a very young team and one can only have a lot of respect for these players, its coaches and the club, as they knew beforehand that it would become a difficult season.
Luckily, almost the entire squad, except for the foreign players, stayed together and four players were added.
With that, Alcmaria Victrix can look ahead to a fine season in the Silver League.
Pitcher Nienke Verhofstad had joined Terrasvogels and with that, gets a chance to play in one of the top-3 teams in the league.
Alcmaria Victrix added four players.
Pitcher Dagmar Stam and catcher Floortje Kerkhoven both came from Double Stars Heiloo that played in the Second Division.
Also coming to Alkmaar are pitcher/infielder Merel Boers and infielder Julia Koorn, who this season played in the Silver League for Almere '90, which relegated.
Alyssa Dronenburg led the team in hitting this season.
She batted .375, collected 24 basehits and batted in nine runs.
While it was rumored that Dronenburg, who returned to the States recently, might play in the big league next season for another team, no transfer has been announced.
Melvin Brown, who led the team this season, will return as Head Coach next year.
Complete overview Golden League-transfers and coaching-staffs 2016
(December 1)
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