(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Softball Canada)
 Mark Smith joins staff Netherlands Softball Team as Pitching Coach
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
Wellknown Canadian coach Mark Smith has been added to the coaching-staff of the Netherlands Women's Softball Team and will be the Pitching Coach of the Orange-squad next year.
The addition of the renowned coach was announced on Thursday (October 17) by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB).
...Mark Smith...
(© Photo: Softball Canada) |
Robert (Mark) Smith, who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the Head Coach of the Canada Women's Softball Team that won the Bronze Medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (Japan), which were held in 2021.
That marked the first time that Canada won an Olympc Softball Medal.
Earlier this year, the Netherlands finished on a historic fourth place at the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals in Italy.
A month later, the Orange Team was less successful in the European Championship, which was held in the Utrecht-region in the Netherlands.
There, the reigning champion finished in third place, which was an enormous surprise, as the Netherlands was a favorite to reach the Final, which was won by Italy.
On September 11, the WBSC published its newest ranking for women's softball.
For the first time, the Netherlands was in the top-five, having moved from sixth to fifth place, trailing the USA (1), Japan (2), Puerto Rico (3) and Chinese Taipei (4).
Rounding out the top-10 are Canada (6), Italy (7), Czechia (8), Mexico (9) and Australia (10).
Mark Smith brings a lot of experience and knowledge with him.
He was the Head Coach of the Canadian Men's Softball Team (Juniors and Seniors) for thirteen years (1996-2009), then led the Canadian Women's Softball Team for twelve years since 2009.
As Head Coach of the men's team, he won the Gold Medal in the 1999 Pan American Games.
Besides leading the women's team to Olympic Bronze, Smith also coached the team to three Bronze Medals in World Cups (2010, 2016, 2018).
In 2015, he guided the team to the Gold Medal in the Pan American Games in front of a home-audience in Toronto after having won Silver in 2011.
Smith was named High-Performance Director for the Women's Softball Team Program in 2017 as part of the preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games.
From 1976 on, Mark Smith was a dominating lefthanded pitcher for more than 20 years and played in Canada, the USA and New Zealand.
For many years, Smith played in the Canadian National Men's Team with whom he won three Gold Medals in the Pan American Games (1979, 1983, 1991).
In 1992, he also was a member of the Canadian squad that captured the title in the World Championship in the Philippines.
In 1979, he pitched the first No-Hitter in the history of the Pan American Games.
Due to the speed of his pitches, Smith was invited for a try-out for the Major League Baseball-team Kansas City Royals in 1982.
In 1999, Mark Smith was inducted into the Softball Canada Hall of Fame, then in 2002 into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
In 2004, Smith was also elected into the American (ISC) Softball Hall of Fame and in 2021 in the WBSC Softball Hall of Fame.
,,I am thrilled to be part of the Netherlands softball programme'', Mark Smith said in a press release, published by the KNBSB.
,,I have admired the athleticism, competitiveness, and potential of this program for many years.
I am looking forward to working with the team and the staff to achieve podium results.''
In the announcement, the KNBSB stated:
,,With Smith's arrival, the goals for the coming period have also been set, namely the 'Road To LA 2028'.
The aim is to compete for a medal at the 2028 Olympic Games, surpassing the fourth place at the 2024 World Cup and the current fifth place in the world ranking.''
Head Coach Saskia Kosterink added:
,,His experience and expertise will help us compete at the top of the world.
I am really looking forward to our collaboration''.
In the press release, it was noted that Smith will join the Netherlands team during tournaments and at various times during training periods and will also be actively involved remotely in the programme.
(October 17)
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