Nol Houtkamp

Arnoldus Simon Houtkamp

• Throws Left

• Born November 30, 1928
• Died February 22, 2018 in Haarlem, Noord-Holland Netherlands

Biographical Information

Nol Houtkamp was a member of the Dutch national team but made the Dutch Baseball and Softball Hall of Fame for his work coaching softball.

He was a pitcher-outfielder for RCH, Kinheim, EHS and ABC. His teams won Hoofdklasse titles in 1959 and 1962. His .350 average was second to American import Tom Campbell in 1961.

He played the outfield for the Netherlands in the 1957 European Championship (Gold Medal), 1957 Global World Series, 1958 European Championship (Gold), 1960 European Championship (Gold), 1961 Haarlem Baseball Week and 1962 European Championship (Gold).

He coached baseball or softball with Celeritas, ROod-Wit, SHELL, ABC and Kinheim. He became head coach of the Dutch softball team in 1969 and led them through 1983, the longest stint in that role. He guided them to their first World Championship appearance in 1974 and followed in 1978 and 1982. He managed them to the title in the first European Softball Championship, 1978 and repeated in 1981 and 1983. He also coached for the Dutch baseball team in the 1973 Amateur World Series.

He wrote a book about softball in 1982 and it was updated in 1990. He also helped with softball development in Spain. He coached Belgium's softball team to an upset of the Netherlands in 1990, winning a Silver for their best finish ever 9through 2017).

He was inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 1983, the first Dutch inductee, and was named to the Dutch Baseball and Softball Hall of Fame in 2005. Olympia Haarlem's softball facility is named after him.

His sons Andy Houtkamp and Bruce Houtkamp played both baseball and softball and his grandson Jason has been public address announcer for the Hoofddorp Pioniers.

Source: Obituary by Marco Stoovelaar