Netherlands international pitcher Loek van Mil is recovering in a Canberra hospital after sustaining serious head injuries while hiking over the weekend.

He was hiking in the outskirts of Australian capital during a series between his Brisbane Bandits baseball team and the Canberra Cavalry in the Australian Baseball League.

The Courier Mailnewspaper on Tuesday quoted Brisbane Bandits chief executive Mark Ready as saying van Mil was in a critical but stable condition and had been found by a hiker after hitting his head on rocks and sustaining multiple fractures and bleeding on the brain.

“He lay unconscious for 24 hours in bushland until he was found by a hiker,” Ready said.

“But he has gone from gravely injured to critical but stable. He’s talking and managed a smile and a joke today.”

The 34-year-old Van Mil, a 7-foot-1 (2.16-meter) closer, was credited with the save in his last game on Thursday.

He was in Canberra for a four-game series in the Australian Baseball League and was not with the team when he was injured.

He has had minor league contracts with several Major League Baseball teams and joined the Bandits this season after playing for Adelaide in the previous three ABL seasons.

The ABL released a statement earlier today.

“Doctors have today taken Loek van Mil off the critical list and confirmed the bleeding on the brain has stopped,” the statement read.

“They have confirmed no brain surgery will be required.

“He is improving on daily basis and they expect an all clear and discharge in 10 days if he continues on this path.

“Loek looks a bit worse for wear but is sitting up, talking, smiling and cracking a few jokes. We ask you again to respect his family’s privacy.

“Loek wants to thank everyone from Australia, Holland and the rest of the world for the outpouring of love and support.”

Fairfax Media reported Canberra Cavalry general manager Dan Amodio said the incident had shaken the Australian baseball community, after Brisbane grew frantic about his disappearance on Saturday.

“We were all shaken by the news, just like everyone. It’s one of those things that puts everything into perspective,” Amodio said.

“Sport is funny that way, because you create a bit of a rivalry on the field, you pump each other up, you pump your teammates up by rallying against the other team.

“At the end of the day, these guys are all friends and these guys are all peers. When something like this happens, it really just shakes you as a whole community.”

This is van Mil’s fourth season in the ABL after previously playing for the Adelaide Bite before joining Brisbane this season.

Van Mil has held minor league contracts with a host of Major League Baseball clubs including the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds and played for the Netherlands national team in several international tournaments.

— with AAP