The NMI’s fastpitch softball team members pose for a photo during a break from practice at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Baseball Field.
AFTER almost a 20-year hiatus, fastpitch softball is finally being revived in the NMI. A local team will be competing in the sport during the 2024 Micronesian Games, which will be held in Majuro, the Marshall Islands on June 15-24.
It was in January when Derron Flores and Manny Sablan found out that the Micro Games would include fastpitch softball.
They decided to start formalizing the local roster and conduct practice sessions.
Two months later, the Northern Marianas Sports Association informed them that that the NMI had been approved to compete in fastpitch softball in the Micro Games.
“Since then, we’ve been practicing, getting ready for the Marshall Islands,” Flores said, adding that they will compete with the host nation, Palau and Pohnpei.
The last time the NMI saw some fastpitch softball action was back in the 2006 Micro Games hosted by Saipan.
Today, the NMI fastpitch softball team is looking at a 16-player roster spearheaded by coaches Manny Sablan, Mark Flores and Mario Aguon with Derron Flores as team manager.
“We are going to steer this 454 engine. We have a chance to medal, we just have to steer them in the right direction,” Derron Flores said.
The NMI team is filled with a lot of young talents who have been working hard for the past four months, practicing four days a week to hone their skills before the big day. “Right now, we have potential,” Derron Flores said.
The team also has experienced athletes such as Jhaneeka Atalig. She has been playing softball since she was kid, but did not really get a taste of fastpitch softball until high-school in Japan.
For Atalig, being selected to represent the NMI is an honor. “It gives me a sense of pride. Donning our jerseys and repping the NMI in an international competition is something that always makes a player proud. I just hope we represent the NMI well and put on a good show,” she said.
This is not her first off-island competition as she has previously played in several East Asia Football Federation events.
When asked what advice she could give to teammates that have never competed outside the NMI, she said, “Carry ourselves with respect and pride. We’ve always been a respectable country and we are always mindful of the players and countries that host us. But we must also go out there and lay it on the line. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We just need to brush off our nerves and just play.”
Another experienced player is Kiana Aldan — the only female NMI player to compete in the world series.
She is excited for the return of fastpitch softball in the NMI. “Honestly, it feels great because ever since I was little, I only played with boys. But now, I get to play with the people I’m supposed to play with, and it feels good. My team is great. We come to practice, and the chemistry is great.”
When asked what her thoughts are about competing off-island and representing the NMI, she said, “I’m not nervous but excited.”
The youngest player on the NMI team is 14-year-old Rosie Saralu, a multi-sport athlete.
“As the youngest player, I have people to look up to like Kiana Aldan and the rest of the girls,” she said.
Saralu said “it’s a really good feeling…that I get an opportunity to represent the NMI in a sport that hasn’t been played [here] since 2006.”
For Saralu, softball was not much of a big sport until she started joining the Belau Amateur Softball Association leagues.
“Now it’s my no. 2 sport,” Saralu said. “It’s unreal. I never thought Saipan would have a fastpitch team. I think it’s a really good opportunity for Saipan to have fastpitch back on the island. I hope that if the little girls see how fastpitch is, they will be interested and learn about the sport.”
Another member of the NMI team, Alannah Sablan, is following the footsteps of her father, local baseball hall of famer Manny Sablan.
It was because of her father that Alannah was inspired to join the sport and learn to love it. “Honestly it’s a big thing for me, because my dad is my inspiration and it’s good to have a father-daughter relationship in the Micro Games,” she added.
The official list of the NMI fastpitch softball team players will be released at a later date along with additional background information.
