Link: Games & results

Final Ranking

1.  Monstas & Vaillains
2.  GK Hitmen
3. Uprising
4. Wiesbaden Eagles
5.  Dutch National Slowpitch Team
6. Eastpro / Stokes BBQ
7.  Swiss Toros
8.  Belgium Brewers
9.  Belgium Bandits

TOP 3 of the tournament

Link: Tournament games & results

(Q) Why did you choose DNT as a team name? 
(A) In origin our Slowpitch team is called Team the Netherlands. The Team name DNT was adopted in 2015. On the Wooden Cleats tournament in Nieuwegein Donald Ziermans figured out at the end of a game a team yell with the Dutch National Team, DNT was born.

(Q) Why did you join the ESSL?
(A) We proudly choose the ESSL competition, because it is currently the highest level of Slowpitch in Europe.

(Q) What do you expect from this season?
(A) DNT wants to finish high in the ESSL competition this year and has made some adjustments to the team. Reinforcements have been added to make the difference with last year.

(Q) How would you describe your team’s playing philosophy?
(A) We still have to train more on the basis of our own strengths and therefore make greater use of the possibilities. We just left that partly, last year. The field of participants this year is very strong and we will have to work hard to get this goal. The motivation within the team is certainly present.

(Q) How do you see the future for slowpitch in Europe and for the ESSL?
(A) Basically we want to play in the ESSL Slowpitch tournaments with lots of fun against the other friendly teams. And together ensure that Slowpitch will reach an even better sports position in Europe. Competition between the teams is always good. But the sporty look, the image to Europe, must of course be good and attractive. So let’s do this together with all the teams, and make sure that it´s our most important goal.

(Q) Anything else you want to say?
(A)I wish everyone a great season with fun, friendship and competitive pleasure.

Photo Team DNT © Grega Valaucic

(Q) Why did you choose GK Hitmen as a team name? 
(A) The softball team at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, was likely founded around the time the first Americans began showing up to man the new NATO E-3A AWACS unit in the early 1980s.  I honestly don’t know what the team’s name was back then.  When I showed up in 2011, we were already called the Hitmen, but I believe that was a relatively recent name change.  Obviously, the name “Hitmen” has two connotations.  A Hitman can either be a hired killer or someone who hits the ball well.  Needless to say, we’re not hired killers and, unfortunately, we don’t always hit the ball well.  Maybe we should find a new name.  I’ve always wanted to call us the GK Sentries after the NATO E-3A aircraft which is called the “Sentry.”  However, all the young dudes on our team prefer the name Hitmen.

(Q) Why did you join the ESSL?
(A) After two years of listening to Marc Stein’s whining, we finally gave in   In all seriousness, we enjoy playing softball against teams from across Europe.  It’s a fun time and a great experience.

(Q) What do you expect from this season?
(A) In our first season in the ESSL, we far exceeded our expectations by placing second in the championship tournament.  We will have a tougher road this season and would be happy to just qualify for the championship tournament.  Once we get there, anything can happen.

(Q) How would you describe your team’s playing philosophy?
(A) Smoke and mirrors.  Just kidding.  We’re going to have several new players this season, so it’s hard to tell what our style will be.  I think we have consistent pitchers who throw strikes and force the other team to swing the bat.  On defense, I would say that we’re fundamentally sound with s group of very experienced — yes, we’re old — ballplayers who don’t make many mistakes.  On offense, we’re not really a power-hitting team, but we hit line drives, put runners on base and run the bases smartly.  In short, I would say that we’re experienced and fundamentally sound.

(Q) How do you see the future for slowpitch in Europe and for the ESSL?
(A) It seems like slowpitch softball in Europe gets more popular with each passing year.  I think there are even more teams out there that would like to participate if we can get the word out.  European slowpitch has a bright future and ESSL can play a big role in this future.

(Q) Anything else you want to say?
(A)Middle’s closed when you play GK … please.  Game’s on!  Looking forward to it!

(Q) Why did you choose Swiss Toros as a team name? 
(A) The Swiss Toros were founded in 2014 by Xabi Hernandez. From the beginning on the Swiss Toros were a multicultural team including Swiss players and “homesick softballers” from the Caribbean states of Cuba, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. The name “Toros”, or “Bulls” in English, was chosen because it represents the “crazy wildness” and the determination that we leave on the field every time we play. It’s also a very well-known Spanish word since it is related with the “Corrida de Toros” (bullfight).

(Q) Why did you join the ESSL?
(A) Since 2015, we played in the Swiss League and in the ESSL with results that gave us a lot to improve. Starting in 2017, I joined as a coach and thanks to the hard work of all the team members, we started to see our great future ahead. We became a team with synergy, saw our potential and exploited it to be the competitive team we knew we could be. This led to us to win the Swiss championships and to achieve international success. In 2017 we won the Freising’s Buttermaker Tournament and reached third place at Almere’s Windmill Classic in the same year. We wanted to go further. Therfore, we decided to test our level in the most important slowpitch league in Europe and decided to participate again in the ESSL 2018 (after a one year break). We finished the ESSL League as the 4th best team. But the icing on the cake was definitely to be the first non-US team to win the Supercup title and became “The ESSL Supercup Champion 2018”.

(Q) What do you expect from this season?
(A) This season is really important for us. We want to expand our horizons and to establish ourselves as one of the most important teams in Europe. Beside that, and as usual, we want to keep bringing joy to all our fans on the field with our skills, determination, passion for the game, and our “party mood dancing”. We also want to make new friends and support the expansion of the ESSL in the upcoming years. The ESSL is a large community and we are happy to be part of it. We always enjoy super competitive and intense rivalries with all the amazing teams participating.

(Q) How would you describe your team’s playing philosophy?
(A) We are not just team mates, we are a family. We love playing together and enjoy it in/out the softball field. We are always spreading joy and laughs everywhere we go. Our team philosophy can be described with the Spanish baseball term “Pelota Caribe”. That’s a generic name to define the characteristic style of playing baseball in the Caribbean. It is a very aggressive and rascally way of playing that includes lots of running, stealing, hit and runs, etc. Basically playing smart and going for every chance we have to take advantage of a play, and make more runs. No doubt you have seen Rafael Ferrer and Jose Posada for example, hitting an inside-the-park home run with a swing where a regular player would barely get a double. Simply amazing.

(Q) How do you see the future for slowpitch in Europe and for the ESSL?
(A) ESSL will always have an important role in the development of Slowpitch Softball in Europe. The teams are getting increasingly competitive, setting the bar higher every year. We are happy to be part of this family, and we look forward to support its development in the upcoming years with our participation.

(Q) Anything else you want to say?
(A) We are looking forward to heat the field in this 2019 season. We always bring fun, joy, and laughs to all our fans. We want to be the most exciting team to be seen in the ESSL this year.

(Q) Why did you choose Brewers as a team name? 
(A) Our team was founded in 2017. We chose the name Brewers because we wanted a name that has a connection to Belgium. Belgium loves beer so Brewers it became.

(Q) Why did you join the ESSL?
(A) We joined the ESSL because we wanted to play more games and at a higher level. Our main goal is to become a better slowpitch country and this competition seemed a very good one because of the high level. Last year it was awesome. We played good games and learned a lot from the other teams.

(Q) What do you expect from this season?
(A) Our focus is to get better with every game. This year we hope to win a couple more games.

(Q) How would you describe your team’s playing philosophy?
(A) Our team is a mixture of players from all over Belgium. Players who want to become better but still have a lot of fun in being part of the international slowpitch community.

(Q) How do you see the future for slowpitch in Europe and for the ESSL?
(A) Co-ed slowpitch is growing in Europe. All men is reasonably new but if the ESSL can grow, more countries will find the way to the ESSL and subsequently the league will also grow. I think that slowpitch will become a sport as big as baseball and fastpitch in the future.

(Q) Anything else you want to say?
(A) Yes, let the games begin, winter has lasted long enough! Let the spring start so we can start playing games.

(Q) Why did you choose Eastpro / Stokes BBQ as a team name? 
(A) Our team was founded 5 years ago. We formed the team to participate in the Windmill Classic. Over the years we obviously added to the amount of games we play. Eastpro and Stokes BBQ are the two sponsors of the team. Eastpro is my own Sporting Goods store and Stokes BBQ is the BBQ business of Huddie Lee Stokes.

(Q) Why did you join the ESSL?
(A) We joined the ESSL to play more games on a higher level. But also just because we like slowpitch weekends….

(Q) What do you expect from this season?
(A) We hope to do better this year than we did last year. Luckily there is lots of room for improvement. Our goal is to have fun and to end it all with a trophee, we will see how far we get

(Q) How would you describe your team’s playing philosophy?
(A) Our philosophy is to take it game by game, try to have fun while playing to win. And of course try to have 10 guys standing for the final game.

(Q) How do you see the future for slowpitch in Europe and for the ESSL?
(A) Slowpitch is fun and it will probably keep growing the next couple of years. I hope it keeps diamond sports members in the game longer so clubs and federation will be able to keep their members, grow and have a financially healthy base.

Looking forward to this season. See you guys in Brunssum in June!

(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”.

Pictures © Alex Ruiz

A short story of Jan & Marieke:

“Marieke and I met at our local baseballclub Kon. Mortsel Stars back in 2007. At that time she was playing Fastpitch Softball and I was playing Baseball. In 2009 we both founded The Skywalkers, a Co-Ed Slowpitch Team that has been competing at the highest level in Belgium ever since. In 2013 we were introduced to the International Slowpitch Community by Charles Williams and we got hooked ever since. Being both coaches of the team, and organizing our own tournaments, we were really excited and also honored when we were approached by Richard Foppen and Marc Stein to step up to the plate in the ESSL West organization. We’ll both give it our full 100%, although it will be challenging with our newborn son, due January 12th 2019.
We hope to see you soon at a tournament, and we can’t wait for this new adventure!”