THE Saipan Baseball League will send an NMI U18 Junior National Team to the World Baseball Softball Confederation Oceania qualifying tournament that will be held on Dec. 12-15, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand.
With the NMI National Baseball Team winning gold in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games, SBL has high hopes in the U18 team that will represent the NMI in New Zealand.
The U18 tryouts began in August with over 30 young men showing their commitment and dedication. Cuts will be made this week as only 18-20 players are needed for the team which will be led by Joey Dela Cruz as team manager. The coaching staff will include Manny Sablan, who managed the NMI Men’s National Team in the Mini Games, along with Mike Cruz, JR Suel and national player JP Sablan.
SBL President Jay Santos believes that they are going in the right direction. “We are hosting tryouts the same way we’ve done when we put [together] our national team for the Mini Games, and we got a really good turnout of young men that qualified for this age group.”
Santos added, “I’m extremely proud of [how] Joey [Dela Cruz is] managing this squad and the coaching staff.”
Dela Cruz believes that with the help of experienced coaches, they will do everything they can to prepare the U18 team.
“Honestly, we just need the rain to stop so that we can practice properly and execute our baseball program objectives,” he said. “I do want to recognize [SBL] President Jay Santos and the SBL board, Director of Player Development Herm Kintol and my coaches for the amount of support they provide to this U18 team. I have to say that my coaching staff continue to set great examples of work ethic and training with intention. This is the start of a junior national baseball program. Next year, we are anticipating fielding U15 and U23 teams.”
Prior to the Mini Games, local baseball had been in a hiatus since 2019.
“It’s been a challenge to bring back a baseball mindset,” said Dela Cruz.
The islands’ young players had previously seen action in the Little League so now they have to get used to adult baseball field standards, he said.
“A lot of work has to be done but we will get there. Not necessarily before the New Zealand tournament but in the years to come. NMI baseball is definitely back!”
Dela Cruz added, “You’d be surprise — anything can happen if we can put in the work. Since day one, we’ve embodied the ‘turn the hand down’ culture. The culture encourages hard work and working the soil with hands down to cultivate success, versus expecting things to be given to you by holding one’s hands up to others. The idea was we don’t want our hands facing up, asking for things to be given to us. We want to work with our hands down, be committed to the system and trust in the process. I honestly have a lot of faith in this team. They’re such a committed group and so eager to learn. They understand that there are sacrifices needed to achieve success.”
Dela Cruz said so far, “the team has been working heavily on strength and conditioning. Our strengths would be definitely speed and small-ball approach. We don’t have the physique of the Australians, the height of our Kiwi counterparts, and the pleasure of playing year-round baseball like Guam and Palau, but that’s why we’re focused on getting stronger, faster and smarter.”
Dela Cruz also noted that the ongoing tryouts include conditioning to prevent injuries.
He said the team trains four times a week to work on defense, offense and mental preparation.
According to Dela Cruz, to become a well-rounded athlete one must feed the body with all the conditioning and baseball workouts we’ve been doing; 2) feed the mind by educating the young men about the hands-down culture where hard-work beats talent at any given day; and 3) feed the soul by staying humble, selfless and respectful fine young adults.”
Ballplayers pose for a photo during a break from the NMI U18 Junior National Team tryouts.
