 Leigh Godfrey Most Valuable Player; Rebecca Soumeru Best Pitcher 2013
Nederlands
 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Leigh Godfrey has been crowned Most Valuable Player of the 2013 season, while Rebecca Soumeru was named Best Pitcher.
Both play for Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem.
It marks the third year in a row that both the MVP and Best Pitcher come from the same club.
The winners were announced on Saturday-evening (December 7) during the Star Awards at Novotel Brainpark in Rotterdam during the European Baseball & Softball Coach Clinic of the KNBSB.
(photo gallery Star Awards)
...Leigh Godfrey...
...Most Valuable Player, Best Hitter...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In 2011, Areke Spel (MVP) and Kirsten Scheele (Pitcher) were crowned, last year Nathalie Gosewehr (MVP) and Dagmar Bloeming (Pitcher).
Leigh Godfrey and Rebecca Soumeru became the third Sparks Haarlem-duo to win the two most important trophies of the season.
It marks the first time in history that a club wins both awards in three consecutive years.
Leigh Godfrey became the first Australian player to be named MVP in the Dutch big league.
It also marked the fifth year in a row that a player of Sparks Haarlem is named Most Valuable Player.
Last year, Sparks Haarlem already became the first club to have four consecutive MVPs.
The previous MVPs coming from Sparks Haarlem were Marloes Fellinger (2009), Kim Kluijskens (2010), Areke Spel (2011) and Nathalie Gosewehr (2012).
Leigh Godfrey led the league in hitting (.585), on base percentage (.662) and runs scored (58), while being second best in slugging percentage (.849).
The outfielder, who also played at second base, was third best in hits (62) and runs batted in (47).
Also nominated were Jessie van Aalst (Alcmaria Victrix), Merel Oosterveld (FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem) and Solange Starrenburg (Hotel Ambassador Haarlem Terrasvogels).
...Rebecca Soumeru...
...Best Pitcher...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Rebecca Soumeru was named Best Pitcher for the third time in her career.
She also won in 2002 and 2005 and was named several times in the last seasons.
Soumeru remained unbeaten this season, going 21-0 and had the league's best ERA with 1.12.
She finished in fifth place with 102 strikeouts.
Also named were Lindsey Meadows (FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem), Kirsten Scheele (Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem) and Ginger de Weert (Hotel Ambassador Haarlem Terrasvogels).
For the first time, four pitchers were nominated this season.
In previous seasons, three pitchers were nominated with only one coming from the same team.
This year, two pitchers of Sparks Haarlem were nominated, as Scheele also won 21 games this season, but also lost twice.
As mentioned, Leigh Godfrey has the best batting average and so, she was the Best Hitter of the 2013 season, hitting .585 (62-for-106).
It marks the third year in a row that the Best Hitter is coming from the same club.
In 2011, Areke Spel was the Best Hitter and last season Virginie Anneveld.
It happened only one time earlier that the batting champion comes from the same club in three consecutive seasons.
Jodi Chmielewski, Nikki Hayhurst and Sandra Gouverneur respectively won in 2003, 2004 and 2005 playing for Terrasvogels.
Karin Tuk (Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem) again won the trophy for hitting the most homeruns.
This season, she set a new record with 10.
Last year, she already had set a new record with nine.
In 2010, she also hit the most homeruns in the season, which back then was only two to share first place.
It marks the fifth year in a row that the Homerun Queen comes from one club.
Marloes Fellinger (2009), Noèmi Boekel (2010) and Debby Connor (2011) won before Karin Tuk won the award in 2012 and this year.
...Karin Tuk...
...Most Homeruns... | 
...Chantal Versluis...
...Most Stolen Bases... |
| (© Photos: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Chantal Versluis (Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem) again stole the most bases, setting a new league-record with 43.
Versluis wins the award for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time in the last six years.
She also won in 2008, then teammate Saskia Kosterink won in 2009.
And so, the stole base award went to a player of Sparks Haarlem for the sixth year in a row.
After completion of this years Holland Series, pitcher Monica Perry of Dutch champion Hotel Ambassador Haarlem Terrasvogels was named Series MVP.
Her award was handed out tonight.
The Egbert van der Sluis Memorial Trophy for Best National Team Player under 23 went to Dinet Oosting of FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem.
In the last few seasons, she developed into one of the best hitters in the league and became a regular in the National Team.
Last summer in Prague, she won the European Championship-title with the Netherlands National Team and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Shanna te Vrede (HCAW) won the Riet Vermaat Trophy for best junior-pitcher, while Damishah Charles (Twins) was named best junior-player, winning the Bep van Beijmerwerdt Trophy.
Last year, another youth pitcher of HCAW, Ilona Andringa, also won the Riet Vermaat Trophy.
Damishah Charles became the first Twins-player to win the award since Daisy de Peinder won the trophy in 1994.
The Nol Houtkamp Award is handed out annually to someone who is involved in player development for many years.
This years winner, Annie Hekker, has been involved with this within her club Roef! since 1990 after already being a member of the board of the club since 1979.
She is a big promotor of softball in the southern part of the country, especially for youth.
Marco Molleman was named Coach of the Year.
In his debut-season as Head Coach in the Dutch big league, Molleman led Hotel Ambassador Haarlem Terrasvogels to the Dutch championship.
The team surprised everyone in the Holland Series, beating favorite Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem, 3-2 in the best-of-five.
In August, Terrasvogels also captured the European Cup Winners Cup, remaining unbeaten in the tournament, which was played in Montegranaro (Italy).
...Marco Molleman...
...Coach of the Year... | 
...Dinet Oosting...
...Egbert vd Sluis Memorial Trophy... | 
...Monica Perry...
...Holland Series MVP... |
| (© Photos: Marco Stoovelaar) |
PHOTO GALLERY STAR AWARDS
(December 7)
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