The HCAW baseball players have found a new coach. The 47-year-old Ronald Jaarsma is the successor to Danny Rombley, who retired from the North Holland baseball players after two seasons last summer.
Jaarsma is currently still on holiday and was therefore not yet available for a response.
It took a long time before the baseball club was able to appoint a new coach. The Bussumers were close to an agreement with Elton Koeiman of BSC Quick from Amersfoort, but that fell through at the last minute. The baseball players therefore started preparing for this season in December without a head coach.
“We have an experienced group of players, so we knew what we had to do in recent months. It is nice that there is now a little more structure in the team. We want to reach the Holland Series this year. You do that with a certain vision to get there. It is nice that we now have a coach who can motivate you and convey that vision. He has to manage us,” said pitcher Lars Huijer.
Holland Series
Last season, the Bussumers became European champions, but were unable to qualify for the Holland Series (best-of-seven for the Dutch national championship). In the play-offs, HCAW was eliminated by the later national champion Amsterdam Pirates.
“Last year we had quite a lot of problems with injuries. Hopefully everyone stays fit. You also have to get into the rhythm. Last year we were “hot” before and during the European Championship. In the play-offs we were less good and Amsterdam was simply better.”
Last year, HCAW’er Delano Selassa was voted the most valuable player in the major league. That sparked interest from abroad and Selassa is playing in Canada this season with Capitales de Quebec. “He will play here in April and then he will go to Canada to play. He will return for the play-offs. That also offers opportunities for other players.”
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Child of the club
47-year-old Ronald Jaarsma started playing baseball at HCAW. As a player he was active for the Bussumers and played for Neptunus from Rotterdam. He stopped playing baseball in 2009 and served as assistant coach of HCAW, the Dutch women’s team and Amsterdam Pirates, among others.
From 2017 to 2021 he was the head coach of Neptunus. He was very successful with the Rotterdam club and became national champions twice and won the European Cup twice. In 2022, Jaarsma was active for Amsterdam Pirates.
Ronald Jaarsma is the son of Ron Jaarsma, the man who sponsored HCAW for thirty years. In his own way he built a top team, which resulted in two championships in the late 1990s (1996 and 1998).