(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Roster Netherlands Softball Team anounced for European Championship
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
Head Coach Saskia Kosterink and her coaching-staff have compiled the final roster of the Netherlands Softball Team for the upcoming European Championship.
The roster was announced on Thursday (September 4).
The 25th edition of the European Championship opens coming Sunday (September 7) and will be organized on four sites in Czech capital Prague.
The European Championship marks the third international tournament in which the Orange-squad participates since early July.
The team first traveled to Canada for the Canada Cup (July 7-13).
After returning from Canada, the final round in the regular season was played in the Dutch big league.
In the following two weeks, the two best-of-five Play-Off Series were played, ending on August 3.
Next on the agenda (August 13-16) was the World Games in Chengdu (China) and now, the team is in Prague for the European Championship.
In between (August 25-30), most of the National Team-players participated with their club-team in European Cup-tournaments.
Olympia Haarlen and Sparks Haarlem participated in the European Premier Cup in Italy, Roef! in the Cup Winners Cup in France and Tex Town Tigers in the European Cup on its home-site in Enschede.
After completion of the European Championship, the remainder of the big league-season will resume after an almost 7-week interruption.
On September 20, the best-of-five Holland Series begins between reigning champion SanTwee Olympia Haarlem and Sparks Haarlem.
On the same day, four teams will resume the Bottom-4 Pool, which ends on September 27.
For the World Games, only 15 players were allowed to be on a roster, meaning Netherlands Team Head Coach Saskia Kosterink had to cut some players.
From the 18 players who participated in the Canada Cup, righthanded pitcher Lizzy Kwakernaak, infielder Sterre den Duijn and outfielder Anaise Piar were not on the roster for Chengdu.
Den Duijn and Piar are now back in the team in Prague, where the roster consists of 17 players.
Two changes were made after the World Games.
Catcher Sietske Drijvers and infielder Thaima Maximiliana, who were with the team in China, are not on the roster for the European Championship.
They were replaced by catcher Marijn Crouwel and infielder Lizzie Clarijs, who earlier this year already played for the team during the Royal Warmup Series against Czechia (in May) and Chinese Taipei (in June).
Crouwel was with the team in China as Bullpen Catcher.
Seven of the seventeen players on the roster play for reigning champion SanTwee Olympia Haarlem, four for Neptunus, three for Sparks Haarlem, two for Roef! and one for Tex Town Tigers.
The roster for the European Championship looks as follows:
Pitchers (4):
Jessie van Aalst, Lisa Hop (both SanTwee Olympia Haarlem), J'dah Girigorie (Sparks Haarlem) and Eva Voortman (Neptunus).
Catchers (2):
Marijn Crouwel (Olympia Haarlem) and Laura Wissink (Neptunus).
Infielders (6):
Lizzie Clarijs, Britt Vonk (both Olympia Haarlem), Maxime van Dalen, Suka Van Gurp (both Sparks Haarlem), Sterre den Duijn and Nicky Uytendaal.
Outfielders (5):
Brenda Beers, Cindy van der Zanden (both Olympia Haarlem), Damishah Charles, Anaise Piar (both Neptunus) and Annemiek Jansen (Tex Town Tigers).
Coaching Staff:
Saskia Kosterink (Head Coach), Jut Stuij (Coach), Mark Smith (Pitching Coach), Marielle Vleugels (Asst. Pitching Coach).
Supporting Staff:
Bas Schalks (Physio Therapist), Rebecca Soumeru (Team Manager).
(September 4)
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