Netherlands hoping to claim first WBSC Women's Softball World Cup medal at Finals 2024
World No. 8 the Netherlands will start the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2024, which takes place in Castions di Strada, Italy from July 15-20, hoping to claim their first ever medal in the tournament.
Having participated in 14 of the 16 editions of the event (the Netherlands only missed the first two editions in 1965 and 1970 and since then have played in all 14 editions since), the European champions have a best finish of fourth in 2016, just missing out on the podium after losing to hosts Canada in the bronze medal game in Surrey.
Having since finished eighth at the 2018 World Cup, the Netherlands just missed out on a Tokyo 2020 Olympic spot at the Africa/Europe qualifier in 2019 before claiming the European title in 2022 and then following that up with an impressive performance in 2023 to finish second in the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group B in Valencia, Spain to book their place in this year's Finals.
Looking ahead to the Finals 2024, head coach Ferenc Jongejan says he hopes his side can break their medal drought although acknowledges the challenge ahead.
"It is going to be a very competitive tournament," Jongejan said. "Just like all other opponents, we want to finish as high as possible. It might be World Champion, it might be eighth. We'll be satisfied with whatever spot we finish in as long as we play the best softball we can. Obviously, we would love to go home with a medal."
Defending champions USA lead the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup overall medal tally with 11 gold and four silver followed by Olympic champs Japan with three gold, six silver and two bronze. Eight National Federations have previously medalled at the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup - USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Canada, Philippines and Chinese Taipei.
The Netherlands start the Finals in Group B where they will face world No. 2 Puerto Rico (July 15), No. 10 Australia (July 16), and No. 2 Japan (July 17) in the opening round.
Born in 1978, Jongejan played professional baseball in the United States from 2001 to 2004, appearing in 160 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) games, including 29 at the Triple-A level as a left-handed reliever for the Chicago Cubs. He represented the Netherlands twice at the Olympic Games at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
After co-founding the Bixie Baseball Regional Academy in 2005, he managed UVV in the Dutch Baseball Hoofdklasse (Major League) from 2013 to 2016. He switched to Tarrasvogels in the Women's Softball Hoofdklasse in 2017 before serving as the Dutch National Team pitching coach in 2019 and then as head coach from 2020.
Jongejan will mainly select the Women's Softball World Cup Finals roster from the eight-team Hoofdklasse with the roster announcement being made one player at a time via the Netherlands Baseball Softball Federation's Instagram and website platforms. Including the minor league, from first to fifth class, the number of women's softball players in the Netherlands is nearly 10,000.
"When selecting, I am not looking at previous tournaments, only the next tournament and the players that fit the team best. There might be changes to the roster compared to previous tournaments and changes to the roster in future tournaments.
"We had the opportunity to have our team together the whole year. That is an asset we hope to utilize during the event. Players knowing each other and how each player reacts in certain situations can make us stronger."
The Netherlands will warm up for the World Cup Finals in Italy with their exact schedule to be announced later.
The Women's Softball World Cup Finals will be Jongejan's last tournament as head coach of the National Team. Former National Team star outfielder Saskia Kosterink, a 2008 Beijing Olympian, will take over.
"Saskia will be the head coach from the European Championship later this year," said Jongejan on a final note.
"It has been a privilege to be the head coach for the past five years, even though it cost me a lot of grey hair. It has been amazing to have been part of this team's journey, and the players have been through it individually these past five years. I am extremely proud of them and of our program. I look forward to this last event together, Saskia taking over and continuing to build the program, and seeing the players continue their growth."
