Monstas & Villains a new ESSL team on the rise

7. March 2019

35 2 minutes read

In 2019 Monstas & Villains enter the ESSL West Division to play in the top European slowpitch league. We interviewed the M&V team manager Alex Ruiz about the upcoming season:

(Q) Why did you choose the name Monstas &Villains? What is the meaning for it?
(A) It was a collective team decision to change our name from Misfits to Monstas & Villains in 2017. Due to the friendly competitive nature of the sport and our sudden emergence as a team, we saw ourselves bringing out particularly strong efforts from opponents when facing us. Combined with the fact that most of our players swing Monsta Bats, it was only fitting that we went with the name Monstas & Villains.

(Q) What was the reason to join the ESSL?
(A) With the softball season coming to an end in 2018, it was while playing in The Netherlands that we decided to join the ESSL. While we are grateful to be invited and accepted into any league play, we feel ESSL offers an increased level of play more in line with the talents of our players. After being able to field a team consistently over a few years, we felt that the cohesiveness and commitment was there to take the next step.

(Q) What do you expect from this season?
(A) We are looking forward to new competition and making new friends, help grow / promote ESSL in Europe, and have fun…. Of course a win or two would be a plus.

(Q) How would you describe your team and playing philosophy?
(A) We all love the camaraderie and competition that the game offers. Softball is a big part of all of us and our Monstas & Villains family. We have a great group of men and women that have been playing together for the last 3 years and some since 2018. This year, we have some new additions to the M&V family. We can’t wait to share the field together as one unit for the 2019 ESSL season.

(Q) How do you see the future for slowpitch in Europe and the ESSL?
(A) ESSL has a bright future ahead with more teams participating and the point of this league is to play at the highest level of Slowpitch in Europe. This is why we as a team choose to participate in this organization. At the moment, Slowpitch Softball is the fastest growing sport within Europe; easy to learn but hard to master. Especially in Germany, Austria, and The Netherlands. This explains why Slowpitch is much loved among young players and “the young at heart”.