Piet de Nieuwe

Petrus de Nieuwe

• Born March 29, 1932 in Haarlem, Noord-Holland Netherlands
• Died March 8, 2021

Biographical Information

Piet de Nieuwe was an early Dutch national team player.

De Niewue was an infielder for EDO, mostly at third base, noted for his speed and contacting hitting; he also pitched. He made his debut in the top Dutch league in 1950. In 1954, he fanned 15 batters in a game. He debuted for the Dutch national team when they won the 1957 European Championship. He made a great double play; holding on to a 1-0 lead against Belgium in the 5th, he made a fine catch on a liner by Jos Robijn and fired to first to complete a double play. He also played in the Global World Series that year.

In 1958, he won Hoofdklasse MVP honors. He started at short when the Netherlands won the 1958 European Championship. He also won the 1960 European Championship with them, his final national team appearance. Following the 1963 season, EDO merged to form Haarlem Nicols. He won a Hoofdklasse title with them in 1965 then won the 1966 European Cup, the first team from the Netherlands to win the Cup.

De Nieuwe coached in the Dutch minors then coached women's softball, winning a title in 1972. He was knighted in 2006.

Source: Obituary by Marco Stoovelaar