The Dutch Hoofdklasse club DOOR NEPTUNUS was quite busy over the last few days. They introduced former coach Paul Van Der Oever as new coordinator for the major league team DOOR NEPTUNUS and the affiliate DOOR TRIDENTS. His first task was the finding of a new head coach. He didn’t waste any time, as the club signed the Belgian Steve Janssen as new skipper and successor for Eric De Bruin, who resigned last week. In addition they also signed their first two players for the 2009 season. Center Fielder Shaldimar Daantji is coming from the Hoofdklasse club SPARTA/FEYENOORD. Pitcher Jorian Van Acker was with the second division club EURO STARS the past few years.
The 36-year-old Steve Janssen took over as head coach of the local NEPTUNUS rival SPARTA/FEYNOORD at the beginning of the 2008 season. He led the team to a 21-21 record and fifth place in the standings. The former catcher began his playing career in 1987 with LUCHTBAL ANTWERP in the first division in Belgium. He later went on to the BRASSCHAAT BRAVES and won a total of seven national championships with both teams till his retirement in 1997. Janssen coached the BRAVES in 1998 and 1999, winning another championship, before leaving his home country for Rotterdam. He coached the TRIDENTS from 2000 to 2002 and was promoted to pitching coach of NEPTUNUS in 2002, staying in this position till 2005. In 2006 he coached the major league club for one year, before leaving to take over as technical director in the Belgian Baseball Federation in 2007.
The 24-year-old Shaldimar Daantji appeared in all 42 games for SPARTA/FEYENOORD in 2008, as the starting center fielder. He batted .278 (OBP .294/SLG .354) with four doubles, four triples, 18 runs scored and nine RBIs. He also stole twelve bases in 13 attempts. It was already his fourth season in the Hoofdklasse. He made his debut in 2005 with the AMSTERDAM PIRATES and also played for ALMERE’90 in 2006, before moving to Rotterdam.
Jorian Van Acker is 22 years old and a right-handed pitcher from the EURO STARS, where he was since 2005. In 2008 the second division club nearly made the jump into the major league, missing a promotion, when they lost in five games to ADO. Van Acker appeared in four games in the series, impressing with an eleven-strikeout complete game victory in game four of the season, when he allowed just one run on three hits. In 2003 and 2004 he was selected for the Netherlands Junior National Team and won the European Championship in his home country.
The 58-year-old Paul Van Den Oever is going to coordinate between the major league team NEPTUNUS and the reserve team TRIDENTS. He worked as coach of the TRIDENTS between 1994 and 1997. From 1998 till 2006 (from 2002 as head coach) he was a coach for DOOR NEPTUNUS, including a stint under Robert Eenhoorn, winning seven national league and six European cup titles during his time. Recently he helped the national team and was a member of the delegation at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.