De Glaskoning Twins signs Aussie player

Dutch hoofdklasse club De Glaskoning Twins has signed an Australian player to reinforce their infield. Since the number of infielders is limited by four, there was a need for a fifth infielder. Therefore the club from Oosterhout acquired utility infielder Sam Kennelly of the Perth Heat. 

In desperate need of a fifth infielder, De Glaskoning Twins decided to sign the 22-year old Sam Kennelly. Sam is a versatile player, who can play all infield positions. With the Perth Heat, he had a similar role. Last season he did not play for the Heat due to an injury. During the 2016/2017 ABL season, Sam played 26 games at every infield position but shortstop. Sam also played for the organization of the Pittsburgh Pirates but did not get further than the Appalachian League (Advanced Rookie). Sam came up with the Melville Braves in the West Australia state league and was a member of the U18 Team that beat Team USA at the World Championships. Sam and the Melville Braves just won the West Australia state league championship by beating the Wanneroo Giants in a best of three series. 

Sam comes from a real baseball family. His brothers Tim and Matt played for the Perth Heat last season. His third brother Josh also spent time in the minors. Of four Kennelly brothers, Sam is the youngest. Just like Sam, his four brothers were part of an MLB organization once. Matt made it to the AA Mississippi Braves, Josh had a cup of coffee with the AZL Reds and Tim spent time with the Phillies and the Rangers organizations and even made it to AAA. 

The reason why the number of Twins infielders is rather thin is that first baseman Jamie Verheyleweghen has a broken ankle and will need surgery. It may take a while before he can rejoin the squad again. With infielders Ruar Verkerk (3B), Bob van der Meer (middle infield), Dennis de Quint (middle infield) and Shurman Marlin (1B) there was an urgent need for a fifth infielder. For Thursday night games, Christopher Gé will remain available as he will keep himself in shape because he will play for the Indonesian national team. But since he owns a restaurant, he will not be available for the games on Saturday and Sunday. Another reason for the thin number of infielders is that third baseman/shortstop Gino Jonis has accepted an offer as navigator, which he cannot combine with playing baseball.

It is expected that Sam Kennelly will join De Glaskoning Twins around mid-April.

With the acquisition of Sam, the flagship team of De Glaskoning Twins now has seven different nationalities with players from Australia, Belgium, Cuba, Japan, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Sweden.