1981 European Baseball Championship

1981 European Baseball Championship

Tournament details
Country	The Netherlands
City	Haarlem
Dates	11–19 July
Teams	4
Defending champions	Italy
Final positions
Champions	Netherlands
Runners-up	Italy
Third place	Sweden
Fourth place	Belgium
Awards
MVP	Paul Smit
←  1979 1983  →

The 1981 European Baseball Championship was held 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.

Jim Stoeckel, a coach for Harvard University, managed the Dutch team. Prince Claus of the Netherlands attended the opening ceremonies. ^[1]

Standings

Pos.	Team	Record
1	Netherlands	8–0
2	Italy	4–4
3	Sweden	3–5
4	Belgium	2–6

Sources ^{[2] [1] [3]}

Awards

• Most valuable player: Paul Smit
• Best hitter: Charles Urbanus Jr.  [ nl ]
• Best pitcher: Jan Hijzelendoorn  [ nl ] ^[1]

References

1. 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.
2. "Baseball - European Championships 1981 - Calendar & Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
3. "Archief Europees kampioenschap". honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-12.

External links

"Rosters of top three teams at the European Championship". www.sport-komplett.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-01-12.