The 1981 European Baseball Championship was held at Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, the Netherlands and was won by the Netherlands. Italy finished second. Sweden finished third, winning its first medal in the competition. The championship had four teams for the second consecutive tournament.[1]
Jim Stoeckel, a coach for Harvard University, managed the Dutch team and was named the best coach of the tournament.[2] Prince Claus of the Netherlands attended the opening ceremonies.[1] More than 40,000 spectators attended the tournament.[3]
Standings
| Pos. | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Netherlands
|
8–0 |
| 2 |  Italy
|
4–4 |
| 3 |  Sweden
|
3–5 |
| 4 |  Belgium
|
2–6 |
Awards
- Most valuable player: Paul Smit
- Best hitter: Charles Urbanus Jr., .522 batting average
- Best pitcher: Jan Hijzelendoorn[1][3]
- Most home runs: Mike Romano, 3
- Best coach: Jim Stoeckel
- Most popular player: Eddy Tromp
- Most spectacular player: Jim Sieval[2][5]
- Most unlucky player: Frank Lauwers, who broke two fingers after getting hit by a ball[2][6]
References
- ^ a b c d Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ^ a b c “Prijzen”. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 1981-07-20. p. 13. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
- ^ a b Bakker, Alexander (1981-07-20). “Italiaanse honkballers vallen door de mand STOECKEL DROOMT, ORANJE KAMPIOEN”. Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-02-09.
- ^ “Archief Europees kampioenschap”. honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ Köhler, Joop (1981-07-20). “Succes honkbalteam kondigt een nieuw tijdperk aan”. NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-02-09.
- ^ “E. K. Baseball Haarlem Groeneveldt was weer razendsnel”. Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). 1981-07-14. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
External links
“Rosters of top three teams at the European Championship”. www.sport-komplett.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-01-12.