SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Depending on which map you look at, the Netherlands is approximately 4,350 miles from Augustana University. It's the same distance that 2020 Augustana graduate and five-year member of Augustana's baseball team Jasper Elfrink traveled so he could attend school in Sioux Falls.

"It was a great experience," Elfrink said. "I wanted to go somewhere in the United States where I could play baseball and get an education and Augie fell into my lap. It was the best decision I've ever made.

"The baseball program is awesome. Coach Huber is awesome. All the coaches that we have had over the years have been great and the education that you get at Augie is great." 

Elfrink now plays baseball in the Dutch Professional League, but his journey towards professional baseball began five years ago at Augie with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. 

As a freshman in 2016, Elfrink took a redshirt which helped him get better on the mound and in the weight room. During his redshirt freshman season in 2017, Elfrink's work paid off as he made seven appearances, including three starts, for a total of 12 innings of work with eight strikeouts and just six earned runs. 

His best outing during the 2017 season came in a game four start in the Vikings opening series with Hawaii Pacific in Waipahu, Hawaii (7,271 miles from the Netherlands). He tossed 3.1 innings of one-run ball in the Vikings seven-inning, 11-9 victory, the first of 37 victories that season.

"It was an awesome experience," said Elfrink. "To go from playing baseball in the Netherlands to playing baseball in the U.S. and starting college games in Hawaii was awesome. We had a good season too." 

The 2018 team, Elfrink's sophomore season, saw the Vikings finish 52-9 with an NSIC Tournament Championship, Central Regional Championship and NCAA Division II Championship, the first national title for the baseball program in Augustana history. 

Elfrink was a part of the 2018 national title squad, however, he was not able to physically be with the team for much of the season due to an unfortunate illness that took its toll just after the start of the season.

"I had a pretty good offseason," he said. "Unfortunately for me, I got sick towards the end of the offseason and was in the hospital most of the season. I got to experience Hawaii again but had already lost 40 pounds."

"I tried to pitch in a JV game, but after we got back from the trip I was admitted to the hospital and the doctors actually had to remove my colon and I was out for the whole year."

Nevertheless, Elfrink still felt like he was a part of the team and received tremendous support from his teammates.

"The guys visited me in the hospital many times and it was still amazing to see from the sidelines that we made it that far," he said. "It still felt like I was a part of the team even though I wasn't physically there."

When it was all said and done, Elfrink lost around 70 pounds and said he often had "low energy". 

"I am healthy now, so it's all good... luckily," Elfrink added. "Towards the end of the conference season, I was released from the hospital and got to sit in the dugout for a couple of games."

While the 2018 Vikings headed to Arkansas for the Regionals and North Carolina for the Championships, Elfrink received medical clearance to fly back home to the Netherlands, where he watched his squad cap off a remarkable year.

"I watched all the games from home with my family late at night because of the time difference [seven hours ahead of the central time zone]," Elfrink said. "It was awesome and very nerve-racking. Sitting on the couch, watching the game, seeing all of the guys, basically play amazing as they did all season long, scoring runs was so cool." 

After the national title season and an offseason of recovery, Elfrink returned to the mound in 2019 for his junior season and logged six appearances, including one start, with 6.2 innings pitched while striking out eight. As a senior in 2020, Elfrink made three appearances before the season was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Now graduated with five years of college baseball under his belt, Elfrink is back home playing baseball in the Dutch Professional League. The eight-team league started playing exhibition games on July 1 while the regular season started on July 23.

Elfrink's squad, HCAW, is currently fourth in the standings with a 3-2-1 record after going 2-0-1 in its opening series against Quick Amersfoort and 1-2-0 in its second series against the Hoofddorp Pioniers. 

On the mound, Elfrink has made three appearances for a total of 4.1 innings with two strikeouts and just one earned run. On July 25 in his debut, he earned the win in game two of the opening series against Quick Amersfoort. His team trailed 5-1 when he entered the game. He proceeded to throw 2.1 innings of shutout relief while his team scored five runs to cap off a 6-5 victory.

"That was a pretty cool experience to get my first win because it was also my debut," said Elfrink. "I pitched in the playoffs a couple of years back but never in the regular season, so it was a cool debut, getting the win."

When talking about the Dutch Professional League, Elfrink detailed some similarities and differences from the game we know here in the United States. 

"It's the same old game," he said to start. "The variety of players over here is a big difference. Some guys have played professionally overseas in the United States, some guys have played Double-A ball or Triple-A ball, some guys have played for the Dutch National Team in the World Baseball Classic and some guys are just college guys coming home from the United States. It's a mixture of young guys and veterans who can still play at a high level."

"It also depends on the series," Elfrink added. "If you have the top two teams playing against each other it could be like a Double-A game because they are very good. But some mid-level teams would range from college to Single-A games." 

The southpaw was also quick to attribute his success to the Augustana baseball program and how it made him a better baseball player.

"It definitely helped a lot," Elfrink said. "Before I went to college, I was just a crafty left-handed pitcher. I didn't do a whole lot. I didn't throw hard and I was alright. Since I got to Augie, I've gained velocity and strength and have learned a lot about the game and its little intricacies. You just realize there's a lot more to the game than throwing strikes."

"Also, being around guys that know how to help others was one thing that Augie did a great job of. We weren't just trying to get ourselves better, we were trying to get everybody better and that's something that has helped me a lot too."

When asked about his future plans and how long he plans to play in the Dutch Professional League, Elfrink's answer was simple.

"However long time allows me to or until I am not good enough, I guess," he said. "Right now, I still have plenty of time, because I plan to keep studying in a master's program in Amsterdam. That should give me plenty of time to keep playing baseball."

"After that, if I find a job that's suitable for me to keep playing, I'll continue to play as long as I can. That's the plan."