Rabauliman is a man on a mission

Saipan native Jeremy Rabauliman is dreaming and hoping to someday become the first Pacific Islander to pitch in the Major League.

“I’m on a mission and I want my goals to come true,” Rabauliman said in an interview by The Daily News of Lower Columbia, Washington.

Jeremy Rabauliman is carrying the hopes of an entire island nation of someday seeing him pitch in the Big Leagues. (WWW.TDN.COM)

“I’m putting all of my chips on the table, and my family and everyone back home is investing in me. I want to be a good role model and someone people back home will look up to and know I’m legit,” the former Saipan Little Leaguer added.

Rabauliman and the Lower Columbia College Red Devils are competing in the Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championship that started on May 21 and will end on May 25 at LCC’s David Story Field.

The Douglas Royals, Edmonds Tritons, Everett Trojans, Mount Hood Saints, Tacoma Titans, Treasure Valley Chukars, and the Walla Walla Warriors are the other teams that made it to the finals.

Rabauliman will end is junior college career where he is also hoping to help the Red Devils, who will face the Mt. Hood Saints in the NWAC Tournament finals on Monday at 3:30pm local time, clinch the title.

“Our national sport is baseball. No one from Saipan has ever made it past junior college baseball, and I want to do something which has never been done before,” added Rabauliman, who started his Saipan Little League career as a shortstop.

He said that he is thankful that he grew up in a small island that is passionate about baseball. “That’s what made me and I’m very proud to be from Saipan.”

He became a pitcher during his teenage years and started for the CNMI Junior League All-Star team—the 2009 Asia-Pacific-Middle East region representatives—that played in the World Series in Taylor, Michigan.

Australia-based Seattle Mariners scout Ray Brown saw Rabauliman pitch in the 2009 Micronesian Games in Palau where the then 15-year-old hurler played for the CNMI national team.

Brown witnessed Rabauliman threw 85-mile-per-hour pitches and was the one who encouraged the youngster to pursue his baseball dream in the mainland.

Having an entire island supporting him gives Rabauliman the determination to further improve his game.

“I’m out here by myself and a lone wolf. But I’m playing for something. Young kids look up to me and I feel I have an entire island behind me as I’m creating something new and setting a path,” he said.

Rabauliman, whose fastball is in the mid 90s, compiled a 6-1 record with a 3.09 ERA in the season that earned him a second team selection on the NWAC Western Division.