(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Fred Versluis)
 Roster Netherlands Softball Team named for European Championship
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
Head Coach Saskia Kosterink has named 17 players to the roster of the Netherlands National Women's Softball Team for the upcoming WBSC Women's Softball European Championship.
The roster was officially announced on Wednesday (August 28).
The Women's European Championship will be held September 1-7 on four sites in the Utrecht-region in the Netherlands.
Two of them are located at the complex of UVV in Vleuten.
Games will also be played at the sites of Centrals in De Bilt and Nieuwegein Diamonds in Nieuwegein.
On Friday-evening, the team will play an exhibition-game against Czechia in Vleuten.
...Saskia Kosterink...
...Head Coach...
(© Photo: Fred Versluis) |
For Saskia Kosterink, this will be her first tournament as Head Coach of the Netherlands National Team.
During the World Cup in 2018 in Japan, she acted as interim-Head Coach in four games.
In July, she succeeded Ferenc Jongejan after completion of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals in Italy, where the Netherlands finished in fourth place, which equaled its best result ever.
Before that event, it already had been announced that Jongejan would step down afterwards.
Kosterink, who served as Bench Coach since 2021, was named Jongejan's successor late May.
Jongejan has now become Technical Manager of the softball-section of the KNBSB.
There are no debuting players on the roster, but there are several changes when looking to the World Cup, which had 16 players on the roster.
Not returning from that roster are pitchers Lindsey Meadows and Marjolein Merkx and outfielder/infielder Cindy van der Zanden.
Four players will return to the roster.
Pitcher Esmee Ames made her debut last year during the exhibition series against Chinese Taipei in the Netherlands, appearing in one game.
Infielder (1B) Nicky Uytendaal also played in that series, as well as in the following series against Czechia.
This year, she traveled with the team to Czechia to participate in a Friendship Series in Prague.
Also making her comeback is outfielder Isa Los, who played in an international exhibition game against Germany in 2020, then in another game against the German squad during the 2021 Holland Tour.
All three are now selected for the first time for a major tournament.
The fourth player that is returning is lefthanded pitcher Eva Voortman.
Two weeks before the start of the season, she sustained a severe ankle-injury during the Mastenbroek Tournament in Enschede.
As a result, she has missed the entire season so far, having not appeared in a game of reigning champion Neptunus.
She traveled with the Netherlands Team to Italy and appeared in a game during a tournament in Caronno Pertusella, preceeding the World Cup.
During last week's European Premier Cup-tournament in Italy, she pitched in four games for Neptunus.
Jut Stuij, one of the co-Head Coaches of Neptunus, has been added to the coaching-staff of the Netherlands Team.
In the press release issued on Wednesday by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB), it was stated that the team is now hunting for the extension of the European title.
The European Championship in their own country is the starting signal for the Road to Los Angeles 2028.
Softball is back on the Olympic program there and that is where Kosterink wants to go with her team.
Partly for that reason, some different choices have already been made in the European Championship selection compared to the selection for the World Championship last July.
,,With a view to the Games, we are going to continue to build on the team, rejuvenation is part of that.
We want to give a number of girls the chance to show themselves, to gain experience at this level''.
In the press release, it is noted that the new National Team Coach has made room in her selection for a number of young players.
Pitcher Esmee Ames and infielder Nicky Uytendaal will play their first major tournament with the national team.
Kosterink: ,,Esmee Ames has shown a lot of growth in recent years and played a good European Championship U22 earlier this summer.
Uytendaal has been close to the selection for a while.
Now they get the chance to compete with the European top''.
Eva Voortman is back from a serious foot injury, which caused her to miss a large part of the season and also the World Cup.
Kosterink: ,,She has worked very hard on her rehabilitation for months and during the European Cup last week she took steps to return to her level.
We want to give her confidence.
If fit, she will undoubtedly be part of the team''.
Another player who is returning from a period of absence in the selection is Isa Los.
The outfielder is having a strong season at Roef!
And now, just like Ames and Uytendaal, she will play her first major tournament with the Kingdom team.
The press release concludes to state that the goal of the European Championship is clear: prolongation of the title.
Kosterink: ,,There is nothing more beautiful than becoming champion in front of your own home-audience.
It is not often that we can play a major tournament in our own country.
The best ending to a beautiful sports summer''.
The team opens the Championship coming Sunday against Spain at 5:30 at the site of UVV.
The roster looks as follows:
Pitchers (5):
Jessie van Aalst, Lisa Hop (both Olympia Haarlem), Esmee Ames (Sparks Haarlem), J'dah Girigorie (Indian River State College, USA) and Eva Voortman (Neptunus).
Catchers (2):
Brenda Beers (Olympia Haarlem) and Laura Wissink (Neptunus).
Infielders (7):
Lizzie Clarijs (Amsterdam Pirates), Maxime van Dalen, Suka Van Gurp (both Sparks Haarlem), Sterre den Duijn (Roef!), Dinet Oosting (Tex Town Tigers), Nicky Uytendaal (Roef!) and Britt Vonk (Olympia Haarlem).
Outfielders (3):
Damishah Charles (Neptunus), Annemiek Jansen (Tex Town Tigers) and Isa Los (Roef!).
Coaching Staff:
Saskia Kosterink (Head Coach), Robert Boersma (1B Coach), Tjerk Smeets (Battery Coach), Jut Stuij (Coach).
Supporting Staff:
Bas Besselink (Physical Therapist), Yael Nillissen (Team Doctor), Sanne Bolhuis (Team Manager/Delegation Leader), Gonny Farley (Staff), Ferenc Jongejan (Staff), Marijn Crouwel (Bullpen Catcher).
(August 28)
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