Today, manager Eric de Bruin released a list with names of players that will be on the roster for the upcoming U18 European Championship. There are several players with experience in the Dutch hoofdklasse.
The U18 European Championship will be played in Italy from July 5 through July 11. In the round robin, the Dutch are in a group with Israel, Italy, France and Lithuania. In Italy, the Dutch will have a formidable opponent. It is hard to tell how strong Israel will be and if they, just like their senior team, will have a lineup with mainly American-born players. Since baseball is still a growing sport in France, we may not underestimate that opponent as well.
The Dutch roster will contain fourteen players with experience in the Dutch hoofdklasse: Rick Rizvic (DSS/Kinheim), Koen van ‘t Klooster (Hoofddorp Pioniers), Mees Robberse (Quick Amersfoort), Matis Crouwel (DSS/Kinheim), Raydley Legito and Emilson Haswell (both L&D Amsterdam Pirates), to name a few.
The complete roster is as follows.
| Name | Team | Age |
| Pitchers | ||
| Brandon Herbold | Curaçao Neptunus | 16 |
| Rick Rizvic | DSS/Kinheim | 17 |
| Cody Hendriks (+IF) | Okotoks Dawgs Academy (Canada) | 17 |
| Koen van ’t Klooster | Hoofddorp Pioniers | 17 |
| Dorian Lippens | L&D Amsterdam | 18 |
| Connor Prins | L&D Amsterdam | 17 |
| Mathijs Oosterbeek | Hoofddorp Pioniers | 17 |
| Stijn van der Schaaf | HCAW | 17 |
| Catchers | ||
| Sem Kuijpers | DSS/Kinheim | 17 |
| Mees Robberse (+ OF) | Quick Amersfoort | 17 |
| Luca Pastor | L&D Amsterdam | 18 |
| Infielders | ||
| Matis Crouwel | DSS/Kinheim | 16 |
| Raydley Legito | L&D Amsterdam | 18 |
| Emilson Haswell | L&D Amsterdam | 17 |
| Raphael Smeenk | Amsterdam Pirates | 17 |
| Sebastiaan van der Horst | L&D Amsterdam | 18 |
| Outfielders | ||
| Jesse Velders | HCAW | 18 |
| Mart Blijleven | DSS/Kinheim | 17 |
| Rodmar Angela | Curaçao Baseball Academy | 16 |
| Paris Aguilera Zayas | DSS/Kinheim | 17 |
The average age of this roster is 17.1. Cody Hendriks is the odd man out. He is a player with a Dutch passport, who grew up in Canada, where he learned to played baseball. Next season he will be committed to Cal State University- Bakersfield. He will be used as a pitcher but he can also play the infield.
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