Today Little League International announced which umpires have been invited to take part in the World Series 2024. Once again it is a fine Dutch…
Today Little League International announced which umpires have been invited to take part in the World Series 2024. Once again it is a fine Dutch delegation. In 2024 Dutch umpires will again be working at the highest Little League level, in both baseball and softball.
Wout van der Horst Wout is a very experienced softball umpire. He has been active in our top leagues in the Netherlands for years. He was a highly valued Umpire in Chief Softball at the NK Little League for 10 years, stepping down last year so he could be more active as an umpire himself. He is happiest out on the field. He has already worked several Regionals as an umpire and as Umpire In Chief. This year he will be an umpire at the Littles Softball Regionals in Kutno. It is the second time he has been invited as an umpire for the World Series Little League Softball in Greenville.
Rein Merkx Rein is an experienced softball umpire too. Both in Little League and on the Dutch fields at the highest level he is an experienced, enthusiastic and energetic umpire. In recent years Rein has been a fixture at the NK Little League and at several Little League Regionals. This year he joins Wout at the Little League Softball Regionals in Kutno and will travel for the second time to the Softball Junior League World Series in Kirkland.
Rik van de Keer Rik is no stranger to the baseball fields either. He has been Umpire in Chief Baseball at the NK Little League for years and has built up plenty of international experience at Regional Baseball in recent years. This year he has been invited to the Regionals in the Czech Republic and will go to the World Series for the second time. The first time was at Junior League Baseball in 2019. There he had the honour of working the plate in the final. It is rare for a non-American to get that assignment! This year he goes to the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport. That tournament is seen as the most important Little League tournament, where the stars of the future face each other and compete for the World Championship 2024!
We are hugely proud of these three and wish them lots of fun and success! Enjoy this special experience! But first, of course, we will see them at our own NK Little League at Whitsun.
You can see the company they are in at the World Series here. (opens in a new tab)
Originally published on nklittleleague.nl.
