Pirates in Holland 2017

After a hard fought weekend of baseball, a relaxing day of sightseeing is exactly what the boys needed. As a reward the boys were able to sleep in until 8 (sleep in....HA!). We had breakfast together as a team and got on the bus to head to Volendam.  Volendam is a Dutch town on the Markermeer Lake, northeast of Amsterdam. It’s known for its colorful wooden houses and the old fishing boats in its harbor, which is lined with seafood vendors.  Our trip into the city started at the Henri Willig Cheese Factory. We were given a quick tour in the area where they make the cheese. While there the tour guide explained to us the process of making the cheese, how long it takes, and the various types of cheeses they make in the factory. After the demonstration we were able to go into the gift shop where the boys could sample all of the cheeses made in the factory and also buy different types of cheeses and other snacks. Pictured below is part of the factory where the cheese is made. After sho

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay - technical difficulties with my computer                     (Championships made possible by Core Orthopedics and Nike) What a great day yesterday was for our program. After breakfast and a short bus ride from the hotel both teams resumed their postponed games in hopes of making it to the semi finals. Team A started on defense in the top of the 5th inning down 3-2. The host Amsterdam Pirates were able to score a run to add to their lead. Seacoast A rallied in the bottom half but it wasn't enough, falling by a final of 4-2 Team AA resumed play on defense in the top of the 5th inning with an 8-5 lead, runners on first and second, and one out. Jacob Cogswell stayed in to pitch and after a wild pitch that scored a run was able to get two ground balls to end the game. Robbie Follis made a beautiful bare handed play coming in on the ball to end the game. Team A then played their final game in the consolation bracket against the Hoofddorp

Day three in Amsterdam finally brought us baseball! The day started with breakfast at the hotel. We then took the bus to the field for the first game. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We had really have rains from about 7-930am and it left the fields in rough shape. We ended up having a delay until 10:30am. The grounds crew at the Amsterdam Pirates facility was outstanding in their efforts to get the field ready to play. The day started with Team A taking on the Hoofddorp Pioneers. We got out to an early lead but the Pioneers came storming back in the top of the last inning to tie the game at 10. The pioneers had the momentum shift in their favor but it was quickly shut down by Will Hindle's walk off single in the bottom half of the inning giving Seacoast A the 11-10 victory. Owen Fox got the win on the mound and Cam Beane was a force at the plate all day, going 4-9 with two doubles and 2 RBI's. Team AA followed with a game against the reigning European Pony Le

Day 2 kicked off with a visit into the center of Amsterdam. It is an amazing city with stunning architecture. It is very fast paced, though! Lots of people, bikes and trains rolling through the streets. We met outside of the Royal Palace of Amsterdam (pictured above) where we took some pictures and got ready to split up for some sightseeing. Before we spit up we were approached by a young opera singer who was doing a challenge with the group she was with. She had to crowd surf while singing and she asked our boys to play the crowd and we happily played along. Unfortunately I can't post the video but there is a screenshot below. It was a really funny experience for the boys and the hundreds of people that stopped to watch We then split off into our groups to go around and check out the shops. The boys checked out some local fashion stores (the fashion is very different here but very cool) and souvenir shops. The boys definitely enjoyed the shops and had a fun time checki

The boys did very well on the road today. They were given freedoms within limits at the airport and hotel and did extremely well. We have an exceptional group of kids and I'm sure this will be the case all week. Once in Amsterdam we were greeted by three excellent members of Sports Tours Europe. We took a beautiful coach bus about 15 minutes to the hotel. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and the boys have some really great setups.  The boys were given a few hours of downtime to shower/nap/rest/etc. and then we had a nice dinner prepared by the hotel staff that included. Salad, Tortellini, and a spread of cold cuts.  Shortly after dinner a good number of us took about a 150 yard walk to a small convenience type store near the hotel and the boys were about to get some local snacks and drinks and well as stock up on some water bottles for in their rooms. That pretty much wrapped up their day and the boys spent the rest of the night in their rooms and they a

Hi Everyone! My name is Jordan Britton and I am one of 3 coaches that will be travelling to Europe with our team of 24 Seacoast United Pirates for 10 days of baseball and sightseeing throughout the Netherlands and England. I am excited to be running this blog to give you and inside look at our trip and what we will be doing each day. We hope that you'll check in periodically to follow along with our adventure and see all of the life changing experiences our players will be going through!