Fall Ball Abroad in Amsterdam

All training plans are designed around and dependent upon academic schedules. Training plans can also be made more or less intensive based on individual preferences. The example below can be used as a rough guide.

September-October

• Mon 4-6 p.m. – Coach-supervised practice integrated with local players
• Tues 4-6 p.m. – Trainer/coach-supervised strength and agility training
• Thurs 3-6 p.m. – Coach-supervised practice integrated with local players and trainer/coach-supervised strength and agility training
• Daily - Independent access to batting cages, strength facilities

November-December

• 2x/week – Trainer/coach-supervised strength/agility training sessions
• Daily - Independent access to batting cages, strength facilities

Throughout the Semester

• Professional development seminars with international sports figures
• Overnight excursion to international city and integrated sports experience
• Daytrip excursion for sports viewing, social and tourism experience

Fall Ball Abroad – Amsterdam includes two excursions outside Amsterdam, including one overnight international fieldtrip and one daytrip within the Netherlands. Transportation, lodging, scheduled activities, and specified meals will be provided. Below are sample schedules of these excursions. 

Belgium Overnight

• Saturday: morning train departure to Ghent or Antwerp, walking tour, group dinner, independent evening.
• Sunday: free morning, integrated practice with local players and/or seminar with prominent sports figure, evening return train.

German Overnight

• Saturday: morning train departure to Cologne or Hamburg, walking tour, group dinner, independent evening.
• Sunday: free morning, integrated practice with local players and/or seminar with prominent sports figure, evening return train.

Rotterdam Day Trip

• Train to/from Rotterdam, practice integrated with Netherlands national team players, Feyenoord soccer game and/or Neptunus baseball game, city center exploration.

IES Abroad is proud to partner with Old World Baseball, whose founders were both college baseball players that studied abroad. Stephan Rapaglia (Amherst College ’92), and Tom Gillespie (Macalester College ’00), have led high-class baseball trips to Europe for the last 10 years, and both have been heavily involved in European baseball for decades. In addition to his U.S. collegiate/professional playing and coaching career, Stephan played a season at the top level in the Netherlands, was a coach-player at the top level in Germany, and spent seven years as the head coach of the Great Britain national team (leading GB to the silver medal at the 2007 European Championships). Tom has lived in Europe since 2001, working 10 years in the MLB London office and coaching the Great Britain and Germany national teams, while also playing for top-level teams in England, Germany, and Sweden. Tom and Stephan will organize and lead Fall Ball Abroad. Learn more about the coaches and the program in the Fall Ball Amsterdam introduction video. 

In addition, regular practice sessions will be led by current or former Netherlands baseball and softball national team coaches. For example (but subject to change):

• Robin van Doornspeek – Netherlands national team pitching coach, national academy director. 2004 Olympics as player. Multiple European Championships as player and coach
• Saskia Kosterink – Talent coach for Netherlands softball, national academy hitting coach. 2008 Olympics as a player. Played college softball in the US