(Story & Photos by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Rosters announced for Netherlands National Softball Teams
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
The coaches of the Netherlands National Softball Teams have named their rosters for this season.
The players and clubs were informed earlier this week.
22 players were invited for the preliminary roster of the Netherlands National Team, which soon will start preparations for the upcoming European Championship this Summer in front of a home crowd in Rosmalen at the site of Gryphons.
The schedule for practices and exhibition games will be announced later.
Missing on the roster are veterans Dagmar Bloeming and Virginie Anneveld, who both will play professionally this season with Pennsylvania Rebellion in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) in the USA and therefore are not eligible to participated in the European Championship.
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...Selected in both teams...
...Lizzie Clarijs, Maxime van Dalen & Manoa Weijgertse...
(© Photos: Marco Stoovelaar) |
For the Netherlands Junior Team, which will play under the name of Holland Talent Team in the Dutch big league (Golden League), 21 players were selected.
The team starts practicing on Wednesdays in April at the site of Houten Dragons in Houten.
Three players were selected for both teams, being Lizzie Clarijs, Maxime van Dalen and Manoa Weijgertse.
The slogan for this year is Road to Tokyo 2020, as the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) prepares for a possible return of baseball and softball on the Olympic Program for the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo (Japan).
The host country can add two sports to the calender and baseball and softball are serious candidates for that, as both sports are very popular and successful in Japan.
A final decision for this will be taken next year.
In the upcoming six years, the KNBSB wants to focus on compiling a representative and competitive team for an Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will be scheduled in 2019 in case the sports are returning.
Due to lesser funding, the KNBSB will focus on two areas in 2015.
This is the participation of the National Team in the European Championship in Rosmalen and participation of the Holland Talent Team in the Golden League.
This means that the Junior Team will not participate in the World Junior Championship this summer in Oklahoma City (USA).
Invited for the Netherlands National Team are:
Pitchers:
Lindsey Meadows (Tex Town Tigers), Kirsten Scheele, Rebecca Soumeru (both Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem), Eva Voortman (FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem) and Ginger de Weert (Terrasvogels).
Catchers:
Gabi Obia (Terrasvogels), Nathalie Timmermans and Karin Tuk (both Oolders Omar Sparks Haarlem).
Infielders:
Jessie van Aalst, Lizzie Clarijs, Britt Vonk (all Terrasvogels), Anne Blaauwgeers (+ C), Debby Connor, Maxime van Dalen, Chantal Versluis, Manoa Weijgertse (all Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem), Shareday Christina and Dinet Oosting (+ C) (both FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem).
Outfielders:
Nathalie Gosewehr, Saskia Kosterink, Areke Spel (all Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem) and Marisèla de Wind (Terrasvogels).
Selected for the Holland Talent Team are:
Pitchers:
Ilona Andringa (UVV), Quincey Catsburg (DSS), Daniëlle ten Donkelaar (Tex Town Tigers), Lisa Hop (Birds), Celeste Kool (Almere '90) and Roos-Marijn Kramer (HCAW).
Position Players:
Brenda Beers, Rachel van Veen (both FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem), Damishah Charles, Maxime van Dalen, Manoa Weijgertse (all Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem), Lizzie Clarijs (Terrasvogels), Annemiek Jansen, Isa Los, Laura Wissink (both Tex Town Tigers), Wies Ligtvoet (Roef!), Tammie Lijbers (Twins), Dervisa Mutic (HCAW), Ismay Poot, Britt Remmers (both Almere '90) and Rhowan Stuart (Amsterdam Pirates).
(March 6)
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