Misja Harcksen heads Downunder

Misja Harcksen, pitcher of Curaçao Neptunus, will head to Australia at the end of September. The youngster served both as a starter and as a reliever this season. In Australia, he will join the Willagee Braves, a kind of farm team of the ABL’s Perth Heat.

In the past three years, a lot has happened in Misja’s career. In 2017, he struggled due to Pfeiffer disease. Eventually, after the season, he decided to join Twins from Oosterhout. With that club he had a revival as he refound the fun in the game of baseball. He posted a 3. 72 ERA with a 6-6 record in fourteen starts.

Even though he liked his stay with the club from Oosterhout, he decided to return to Neptunus. The main reason for this move was his focus on reaching the Olympics. He thought his chances of being selected for the Dutch national team would be bigger if he would play for Neptunus. The decision to join the multiple Dutch champions appeared to be a wise one as Misja pitched a perfect game against his former team Oosterhout Twins on April 14, the first one since 1997 and the third in the Dutch hoofdklasse in total.

His decision to go to Australia may him bring a spot in the ABL. But first, he needs to prove his value for the Willagee Braves of the Western Australia State League. Harcksen got in contact with the club thanks to his former teammate Sam Kennelly. Kennelly has played for the Braves several times. If Harcksen does well, he might be called up by the Perth Heat.