Roel Koolen
Encyclopedia
Roel Koolen is a Dutch
baseball
player who currently plays for Kinheim
and the Dutch national team
.
Koolen made his Hoofdklasse
debut at the Twins Sporting Club in 1998. He played for the Dutch junior team in the 1999 World Junior Championship and 2000 World Junior Championship. In 2000, Koolen moved to DOOR Neptunus
and helped the team win the Holland Series
in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 (he was not on the team in 2003). In the 2004 playoffs, he was named MVP. During 2003 and 2004, he spent time in College in the United States
. He was 3 for 17 with 3 walks in 16 games for the 2003 VCU Rams. In 2004, he hit .210/.300/.290 in 26 games.
Returning to the Netherlands full-time in 2005, the 23-year-old hit .253/.345/.326 in 26 games for Neptunus and fielded .889. He was 6 for 16 with 3 doubles in the Holland Series as the team won the title. Koolen was 4 for 9 in the 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week
. After his move to Kinheim
for the 2006 Hoofdklasse season, Koolen hit .324/.435/.426 with 27 walks in 42 games. He was 5th in the league in OBP and tied Eugene Kingsale
, Tjerk Smeets
and Evert-Jan 't Hoen
for fifth in walks. He only hit .190/.292/.190 in the Holland Series but Kinheim won the title, breaking the long run by Koolen's old Neptunus mates. He was one for two with a run and RBI as Michael Duursma
's backup at 2B in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup.
In 2007, Koolen hit .386/.525/.534 with 22 walks and 21 runs in 26 games. He lost the batting title by six points to Danny Rombley
, was second to Fausto Alvarez in slugging and led the league in OBP. He tied for second in the league in triples (3). He was just 2 for 12 with a double in the 2007 Holland Series
but Kinheim still won. In the 2007 European Cup, Koolen was 4 for 20 with a double and a triple as Kinheim won its first European Cup ever. He was 6 for 23 in the 2007 World Port Tournament
. For the 2007 Baseball World Cup
, Koolen replaced Yurendell de Caster at second base for the Dutch national team. He started ahead of Michael Duursma, who had had a much better career in NCAA Division I than Koolen. Koolen hit .267/.267/.267 in 8 games but the Netherlands still finished 4th, tying their best finish ever. Koolen hit .294/.409/.471 in the 2008 European Cup in Grosseto
to help them win the Cup. In the 9th inning of the Gold Medal game, he tripled against Linc Mikkelsen and scored on a René Cremer sacrifice fly to force extra innings against Montepaschi Grosseto and give Kinheim their chance to win.
Koolen was selected by coach Robert Eenhoorn
in the team that represents the Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who currently plays for Kinheim
Kinheim
Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently Corendon so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. They are current Dutch champions....
and the Dutch national team
Netherlands national baseball team
The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Netherlands. They are currently the top team in Europe and currently the sixth ranked men's baseball team in the IBAF World Rankings....
.
Koolen made his Hoofdklasse
Hoofdklasse
The Hoofdklasse is the 2nd highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fourth tier in general.-Background:The league is divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunday. This is a result of the traditional pillarisation , the segregation of Dutch society. The Saturday-clubs are by...
debut at the Twins Sporting Club in 1998. He played for the Dutch junior team in the 1999 World Junior Championship and 2000 World Junior Championship. In 2000, Koolen moved to DOOR Neptunus
Neptunus
Neptunus is the baseball team of the Neptunus Sporting Club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently DOOR Training so that the official name of the team is DOOR Neptunus....
and helped the team win the Holland Series
Holland Series
The Holland Series has been the annual championship series of the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands since 1987, concluding the postseason of Honkbal Hoofdklasse...
in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 (he was not on the team in 2003). In the 2004 playoffs, he was named MVP. During 2003 and 2004, he spent time in College in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was 3 for 17 with 3 walks in 16 games for the 2003 VCU Rams. In 2004, he hit .210/.300/.290 in 26 games.
Returning to the Netherlands full-time in 2005, the 23-year-old hit .253/.345/.326 in 26 games for Neptunus and fielded .889. He was 6 for 16 with 3 doubles in the Holland Series as the team won the title. Koolen was 4 for 9 in the 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week
Haarlem Baseball Week
The Haarlemse Honkbalweek is an international invitation baseball tournament at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands...
. After his move to Kinheim
Kinheim
Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently Corendon so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. They are current Dutch champions....
for the 2006 Hoofdklasse season, Koolen hit .324/.435/.426 with 27 walks in 42 games. He was 5th in the league in OBP and tied Eugene Kingsale
Eugene Kingsale
Eugene Humphrey "Gene" Kingsale is a former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from until...
, Tjerk Smeets
Tjerk Smeets
Tjerk Smeets is a Dutch baseball player who currently plays for Kinheim and the Dutch national team. He is the son of Dutch radio and television personality, writer, and columnist Mart Smeets....
and Evert-Jan 't Hoen
Evert-Jan 't Hoen
Evert-Jan Axel Charles 't Hoen is a Dutch baseball player.'t Hoen represented the Netherlands at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, in which the Dutch finished sixth...
for fifth in walks. He only hit .190/.292/.190 in the Holland Series but Kinheim won the title, breaking the long run by Koolen's old Neptunus mates. He was one for two with a run and RBI as Michael Duursma
Michael Duursma
Michael "Mike" Duursma is a Dutch baseball player who currently plays for Pioniers and the Dutch national team. He is the brother of Mark Duursma and was one of the few Dutch players to play in NCAA Division I....
's backup at 2B in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup.
In 2007, Koolen hit .386/.525/.534 with 22 walks and 21 runs in 26 games. He lost the batting title by six points to Danny Rombley
Danny Rombley
Danny Rombley is a Dutch baseball player who currently plays for Kinheim and the Dutch national team. He also played six years in the US minor leagues....
, was second to Fausto Alvarez in slugging and led the league in OBP. He tied for second in the league in triples (3). He was just 2 for 12 with a double in the 2007 Holland Series
2007 Holland Series
The 2007 Holland Series involved the Corendon Kinheim, defeating the Konica Minolta Pioniers in 3 straight games....
but Kinheim still won. In the 2007 European Cup, Koolen was 4 for 20 with a double and a triple as Kinheim won its first European Cup ever. He was 6 for 23 in the 2007 World Port Tournament
2007 World Port Tournament
The 2007 World Port Tournament was an international baseball competition held at the DOOR Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from August 2–12, 2007...
. For the 2007 Baseball World Cup
2007 Baseball World Cup
The XXXVII International Baseball Federation Baseball World Cup was held in the Republic of China from November 6 through November 18, 2007. Four stadiums hosted...
, Koolen replaced Yurendell de Caster at second base for the Dutch national team. He started ahead of Michael Duursma, who had had a much better career in NCAA Division I than Koolen. Koolen hit .267/.267/.267 in 8 games but the Netherlands still finished 4th, tying their best finish ever. Koolen hit .294/.409/.471 in the 2008 European Cup in Grosseto
Grosseto
Grosseto is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies 14 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain, on the Ombrone river....
to help them win the Cup. In the 9th inning of the Gold Medal game, he tripled against Linc Mikkelsen and scored on a René Cremer sacrifice fly to force extra innings against Montepaschi Grosseto and give Kinheim their chance to win.
Koolen was selected by coach Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels.-Major League career:Robert Eenhoorn played four seasons in Major League Baseball as...
in the team that represents the Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.