Finally. HCAW has found its manager

After Dutch Hoofdklasse club HCAW and former Major Leaguer Ralph Milliard parted ways at the end of last season, the Hoofdklasse club from Bussum had to look for a new manager. It took the club long as it only became clear last Friday that it had found its man.

After an extensive search, the club from Bussum has signed Roy Berrevoets as their “new” skipper.
The official announcement was made today (Monday, February 29) as the club was still busy with completing the coaching staff.

Berrevoets already has some coaching experience with the club under his belt as he was co-manager of the flagship team from 2007 through 2008, together with Jurjan Koenen. After Bill Froberg was released in 2011, he returned as assistant coach with the flagship team.

Roy Berrevoets started playing baseball with Unique Giants from Diemen (an Amsterdam suburb). In 1987 he jumped ships to HCAW and stayed with that club until 1999.

His long tenure as a player gave him this affection for the club that made him accept the co-manager’s job in 2007. After a tumultuous year in 2006 in which the flagship team used two managers that both left and after which the team saw twelve players leave, Roy saw that the club was heading into the wrong direction. He could not just stand at the sideline and see this happen; therefore he loved this club too much.

As a reward for what he has done for the club as a player and a coach, HCAW retired his uniform number (24) on April 12 2007. On that date the club also honored him with an honorary membership.

 

Probably his love for the club is the reason why he has accepted the manager’s job for the 2016 season again. Last year was a tough year as well. Manager Ralph Milliard saved the club from demotion by finishing seventh in the regular competition, but after a good year in 2014 as a manager of the Oosterhout Twins, the expectations may have been a bit too high. Eventually the two parties (HCAW and Milliard) decided to part ways. And in the transfer period, the club saw several important players leave. Players like Maickel Rietel, Steven van Groningen, Rikkert Kempen and Jarreau Martina to name a few. Other players like Peter van Doesburg, Roy Seltenrijch, Tony Kreisel and Leon Elshof decided to hang up their spikes or to play at a lower level.

Since 2003 Roy was a member of  the third team of HCAW that they call the reserve reserves as a joke. In the last couple of years he served as a manager/coach of the team and stepped in as a player when needed. Under his leadership the team won last year’s  championship in their league and lost to Hoofddorp Pioiniers for the overall aluminum bat championship.

Roy has an extensive career in Dutch baseball. In 1991 Roy debuted with the Dutch team in an exhibition game vs Chinese Taipei with one hit out of three at bats. In 1997 Berrevoets and the Dutch team lost to Italy in the European championship tournament. In that year Roy was part of the Dutch team that participated in the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam. He played more than 400 games in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, won two Dutch titles with HCAW in 1996 and 1998.

In the coming weeks, HCAW will play several practice games as preparation on the upcoming season. It will start the Hoofdklasse season on Thursday (night) April 14 on the road in Haarlem when they face Corendon Kinheim.