The Netherlands will have ample opportunity during their U.S. trip to get in at-bats and innings. (Photo courtesy of 2010 WWC Organizing Committee)

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
2011-02-24

This coming Monday, February 28, the women’s national softball team from the Netherlands will arrive in the United States. Head Coach Craig Montvidas is at the helm for a two-week trip that will include more than a dozen games.

Eighth place finishers at last year’s 16-nation ISF XII Women’s World Championship in Venezuela, the Netherlands will compete in Florida and Tennessee during their time in the U.S. The games will take place in the Tampa area (Clearwater) and Knoxville. The opponents are primarily Division I college teams.

The new head coach of the U.S. women’s team, Ken Eriksen, will be one of the opposing coaches when his University of South Florida team takes on the Dutch team on March 9th. “We are very excited to host the Dutch National Team,” he said. “To have an opportunity to play against a national team program that has played in the Olympics and fared very well at the world championships will give our team a look at high level international play. This should be a treat for our fans.”

The night before their competition will have been St. John’s, from Queens, New York. “We are excited about the addition of a game against the Dutch National Team to our schedule,” St. John’s head coach Amy Kvilhaug said. “It will be a great experience for our program to play against a high-level national team that is among the best and has played against some of the greatest softball players in the world. The competition will surely prove to be an asset to our team as it should help to prepare us for the exciting challenges that our season presents us with.”

The Dutch have already been active in 2011, both practicing and playing indoors in the Netherlands. Later this year (July 31-August 6 in Italy) they will be seeking to defend their European Championship.