Governor Arnold I. Palacios on Tuesday met with members of the NMI U18 Baseball Team players and coaches and wished them luck as the team prepares to head to Palau later this week to represent the CNMI in an upcoming baseball tournament. The team will compete against teams from Palau, including its national team that represented Palau in last year’s Pacific Mini Games. Governor Palacios also presented a CNMI flag to the U18 Junior National Baseball Team to showcase in their upcoming competition.
THE NMI Junior National Baseball Team will be leaving this Friday to compete in the 2023 Palau-CNMI Goodwill Tournament which will be held from June 19 to 23 in Palau.
“Welcome to the big league boys,” Gov. Arnold I. Palacios told the players who paid him a visit at his office on Capital Hill Tuesday.
“Play your game but enjoy yourselves,” he added. “You guys need to step up and take over. We [also] want to thank you for your continued representation of our Commonwealth. We’ve seen some of you guys develop since little league. We are very proud of you guys.”
Team manager Joey Dela Cruz said they were invited by the president of the Palau Baseball Federation to play goodwill games in Palau.
The NMI junior team was created in August to represent the Commonwealth in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Tournament in New Zealand, but they did not participate due to financial constraints.
“It shattered the dreams of the 17 players and, from then on, we decided to put this team to the test in the current Saipan Baseball League where we just won our fifth game to sit in second place,” Dela Cruz said.
The team will play four different teams in Palau, including its national team which saw action in the Pacific Mini Games hosted by the CNMI last year.
The team members are Albert Adriano, Joell Borja, Justin Camacho, Kazu Dela Cruz, Joel Deleon Guerrero, Derence Diaz, Jon Diaz, Achilles Evangelista, Angelo Igitol, Charles McDonald III, Benjamin Palacios, Jylon Sablan, John Peter Sablan and Jeremiah Suel III. The coaches are Mike Cruz and Jeremiah Suel and the statistician is Vicente Palacios.
During their meeting with the governor, Dela Cruz said they told him that “we will wear the CNMI jersey with the outmost respect.”
“The team continues to trust the process and stick with the program and, hopefully one day, this is our next national team right here,” Dela Cruz said.
He thanked Saipan Baseball League President Jay Santos and the SBL board for believing and investing in youth development.
SBL is funding the team’s travel, lodging and accommodations. “We’re investing in the youth. We continue to give them the opportunity to experience and be exposed to regional competitions and, hopefully, come back and expand,” Dela Cruz said.
After the 2023 Palau-CNMI Goodwill Tournament and the conclusion of the Saipan Baseball League tournament, the junior national team will play against the University of Guam Tritons in July.
