NMI National Baseball Team Manager Jay Kintol, center, poses with Saipan Baseball League board member Shine Tenorio, left, and SBL President Jay Santos in the conference room of the Ada gym during a press conference on Wednesday.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
THE Saipan Baseball League on Wednesday announced the selection of Jay Kintol as the manager of the NMI Men’s National Baseball Team, which will be defending its title in the Pacific Mini Games that will be hosted by Palau from June 29 to July 9, 2025.
In the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, SBL President Jay Santos and board member Shine Tenorio also shared the news about the selection of the NMI National Baseball Team.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Santos said. “We were hoping to get this process done much sooner, but we’re here.”
Regarding the team’s manager, Santos said: “Strong baseball background, strong baseball family — Jay [Kintol] has been part of CNMI baseball — little league, juniors, seniors — for well over 20 years. I couldn’t be happier that he has accepted this challenge.”
Santos believes that there are going to be huge expectations for the team to win another gold for the CNMI.
He said the SBL has given Kintol full responsibility and decision-making power in assembling his coaching staff and selecting a 20-man roster for the Mini Games
“That’s the kind of confidence we have in Jay — to put together a championship team and bring back the gold medal to the CNMI,” Santos said.
With only a few months left until the Mini Games, Kintol will definitely have his hands full as he also plans to launch a second major league by April 7, allowing the national team to compete as part of its training.
“The second major league baseball will continue to play an administrative role and make sure that Jay and his coaching staff will have what they need to prepare for the Mini Games,” Santos said.
Kintol expressed his gratitude to Santos and the SBL board for their trust in him and for giving him the opportunity to do his best to replicate Team CNMI’s gold medal win in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games, hosted on Saipan. “We are going to do everything we can with the time we have,” Kintol said.
He said he has already selected his head coach, Luis “Jun” Iguel Jr., who is well-known in the baseball community and has represented the CNMI in the Mini Games and Micro Games.
Along with a 20-man roster, Kintol said the team is allowed to bring four coaches.
With only four weeks until the local major league starts, concerns have been raised about whether there is enough time to finalize the national team. However, Kintol said he will have a team ready within two weeks.
SBL is facing challenges different from those the national team encountered in 2022, but Kintol and Santos said they are doing everything they can to ensure this year’s team will be ready to compete.
“I’m very confident and very optimistic with our chances in Palau,” Kintol said.
Santos said prior to the CNMI’s winning the gold medal in the 2022 Mini Games, there was no baseball on the island for three years.
Despite the hardship they had to go through, the CNMI team still persevered and won the gold medal, he added.
“Fortunately for us now, we got two seasons under our belt and the boys are back at it. So, people are still pretty much in baseball shape — practicing and hitting. I’m very confident that our manager Kintol will put a very competitive team together,” Santos said.
As part of his preparations, Kintol has been conducting research and reviewing stat sheets from previous seasons. For now, he plans to have five to six pitchers along with several two-position players. Although some CNMI players from 2022 are no longer on the island, he and Santos believe the younger players have the potential to defend the Commonwealth’s gold medal.
