Below are updates on selected players from the list of 164 European and European-eligible players at North American universities. Included are a national statistical leader, two Italian Serie A players, and a Honkbal Hoofdklasse pitcher, among others.
Great Britain’s Richard Brereton transferred to Duke University for the 2021 season, a big step up from NCAA Division III baseball, even with highly regarded Emory University. Brereton has appeared in four games, all on the hill, striking out seven in 4.1 innings, but surrendering five runs, including two round-trippers.
Tommaso Giarola made his IBL debut in 2020 with Parma and returned this year for his second season with Frontier College. The experience has paid off for the Bobcats, for whom Giarola is mashing at a .377/.500/.672 clip in 19 games, with more walks (11) than strikeouts (10).
Dave Janssen is No. 1 in the entirety of NJCAA Division I in on-base percentage (.710), checking in at second in batting average (.591) and No. 11 in slugging (.955). Unofficially, he is fifth in the nation in K% (striking out in 3.2% of PA). He leads both ICCAC Div. I and II universities in batting average, OBP, and K% and is No. 2 in SLG. The Indian Hills CC backstop also has five stolen bases and has scored 12R in 8G.
Meanwhile, Drew Janssen (no relation and Belgian rather than Dutch) has whiffed 25 in 19 innings for Frontier, posting a 4.26 ERA. Last year, that mark was at 2.81 and accompanied by 39 K in 25.2 frames.
Leo Jiminian leads Clarendon College in AB (63, tied) and has hit .302/.366/.460 in 17 games. Fellow Frenchmen Pierre-Emmanuel Planes (3-for-11) and Lilian Amoros (4.50 ERA, 14IP) have seen action as well, while the Netherlands’ Leandro Anasagasti is 1-for-8.
Already a veteran of four IBL Serie A seasons, Giulio Monello is in his third season with Odessa Junior College and has already committed to the University of New Mexico for 2022. The Italian catcher is off to a slow start, hitting .245/.327/.388 after a red-hot 2020.
Daniel Monti is in the midst of his second-straight strong campaign for Odessa, with a .340/.375/.528 line in 16 games that mirrors his .333/.400/.500 output in 17 contests in 2020.
Tijmen Takke (pictured above) is No. 6 in the ACCAC in doubles (7) and slashing .310/.437/.483 in his second season for Phoenix College. On March 16, he went 3-for-4 and was a triple short of the cycle. Last year, the 1B hit .338/.422/.571 and slugged four of the teams seven home runs.
Luke ter Beek has a 2.63 ERA and a 12-to-1 K/BB ratio in 13.2 innings for Arizona Western College, one of the prime destinations for European players. The Matadors boast two other Dutch players, Delano Selassa and Jeandro Tromp, plus France’s José Paula, and Czech Republic’s Ondřej Furko.
Picture of Takke at the 2019 MLB Elite Tournament copyright Extra Innings. Graphic courtesy of the ICCAC.
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