After his playing career, van Kampen returned to the United States. He worked as the bullpen coach for the Boise State Broncos, which played briefly in 2020,[5] and the pitching and strength coach for the Boise Hawks, an independent minor league team, from 2021 to 2023.[6]
His 14 saves led the Hoofdklasse in 2002, doubling runner-up Richard Beljaards[nl].[11] In the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, van Kampen gave up one run in 2⁄3 of an inning against Venezuela then rebounded to pitch a scoreless inning against Japan.[12][13] van Kampen had four saves for HCAW in the Hoofdklasse in 2003.[14] He had a 9.00 ERA and one save in the 2003 World Port Tournament, allowing five hits in two innings of work.[citation needed] He only pitched once in the 2003 Baseball World Cup, tossing a scoreless inning and allowing one hit in an easy win and combined two-hitter over France.[15] He was not on the Netherlands roster for the 2004 Summer Olympics.[16] Van Kampen saved 7 games for HCAW in 2004, third in the Hoofdklasse.[17]
In 2005, he moved to Almere'90 and was 1–2 with 6 saves (fourth in Hoofdklasse) and a 1.05 ERA in 26 outings. He was back with the Dutch team for the European Championship (hurling two games[citation needed] as the Netherlands won the Gold).[18] He had a 1.93 ERA in four appearances in the Baseball World Cup as the Dutch team finished fourth, their highest ever to that point.[19][10]
van Kampen joined Kinheim for the 2006 Hoofdklasse season[4] and was 1–2 with a 2.30 ERA.[citation needed] He led the league with 11 saves.[21] He was 1–0 with a save and 0.00 ERA in three playoff appearances. He had a save and 1.42 ERA in the Holland Series,[citation needed] which Kinheim won. He committed an error on what would've been the final out of the series, attempting to run to make a force out at first base rather than throw to the first baseman, but arriving later than the batter.[22] In the Haarlem Baseball Week tournament, Van Kampen was 1–0 with a 3.18 ERA for the champion Dutch squad.[citation needed] van Kampen threw nine scoreless innings in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup to help the Netherlands win the silver medal.[23] He was 1–0 with a save in the competition. He threw 22⁄3 scoreless frames in a 4–3 win over former champion Australia,[24] got the win after facing one batter in the 4–2, 10-inning victory over Chinese Taipei,[25] and tossed the final three innings in a shutout over Japan in the semifinals for the save.[26]
In 2007, he went 2–0 with 8 saves and a 1.05 ERA for Kinheim and only walked three batters in 252⁄3 IP.[4] He tied Dave Draijer for the save lead in the circuit and tied Draijer for second in games pitched (23), one behind Stephen Spragg.[27][28] van Kampen struck out 8 batters in four innings in the playoffs, saving two and posting a 2.25 ERA.[citation needed] In the Holland Series, Van Kampen pitched 52⁄3 innings, allowing no runs. He saved two of the games in the three-game sweep by Kinheim and won the other contest and was named the MVP of the championship series.[29] Van Kampen pitched 32⁄3 scoreless innings for Kinheim in the 2007 European Cup, registering a save in the finals.[citation needed] It was the first European Cup title for Kinheim.[30]
In the 2007 European Championship, van Kampen threw 31⁄3 scoreless innings, saving one game as the Netherlands won the Gold and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He saved two games and threw 31⁄3 scoreless innings in the 2007 World Port Tournament. van Kampen had a 1–1 record and 9.00 ERA in the 2007 Baseball World Cup. He blew a save in a 4–3 loss to Australia. Entering in the bottom of the 9th with a 3–2 lead, van Kampen walked Brad Harman. Gavin Fingleson reached on a Michael Duursma error, with Harman taking third. Luke Hughes hit a sacrifice fly to score Harman and Trent Oeltjen hit a game-winning double for Australia.[citation needed] In the quarterfinals, van Kampen did far better, getting the win over the host Chinese Taipei national team with a scoreless 10th. He allowed one run in the 11th after the Netherlands scored four in the top of the frame.[31]
van Kampen struggled in the 2008 European Cup in Grosseto as the worst pitcher on Kinheim, which won the title. He nearly blew a 4–0 lead against the Marlins Puerto Cruz in the opener, giving up 3 runs. Against Montepaschi Grosseto in the gold medal game, he gave up a run in the 10th[citation needed] but got reprieve when Kinheim rallied to win.[32]
Personal life
van Kampien met his wife at Treasure Valley Community College, and they moved to Boise after his playing career ended. They have two daughters.[1]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
