TAIPEI - In Taiwan, Team Kingdom of the Netherlands showcased its talent at the U18 World Cup last week. With a strong selection composed of the brightest talents from Aruba, Curaçao, and the Netherlands, the Kingdom Team demonstrated that it could compete with the world's top teams.
With no-hitters against Venezuela and Spain and a victory over the eventual world champion Japan, the Kingdom Team advanced to the Super Round of the World Cup, where the top six teams in the world competed.
Facing favorites like Team USA, Puerto Rico, and South Korea, the Kingdom Team, led by coach Eric de Bruin, suffered close defeats. This ultimately resulted in a sixth-place finish at the World Championship.
This marked the third consecutive World Cup (following the U18 and U23 World Cups in 2022) in which a Kingdom Team, consisting of top talents from different parts of the Kingdom, joined the global elite and reached the Super Round.
This year's U18 Kingdom Team selection included significant talents from the Aruba Baseball Academy, the Dutch Caribbean Baseball Academy in Curaçao, and the Talent TeamNL Center in the Netherlands. Players selected from the Aruba Baseball Academy included Joan Sierra, Nathan Arends, Tai Vic Tromp, Keyon Ashby, and Isaac Mendez, with Randolph Oduber as their coach. The Dutch Caribbean Baseball Academy was represented by Rodiënsly Ignecia, Ryjeteri Mérite, and Jared Veeris.
The combined no-hitter against Venezuela, a direct competitor for a place in the Super Round, was an excellent example of how strengths from across the Kingdom were united. Pitchers Rodiënsly Ignecia (Curaçao) and Nathan Arends (Aruba) threw a combined no-hitter, aided by excellent defense from shortstop Amarensio Franka and catcher Keegan Pieternella (Netherlands).
The collaboration between the various academies is continuously growing and will hopefully lead to even more success at the global level in the future!