Dickinson makes elite selection

Spencer Dickinson follows through with his swing during one of his games with the Snowbirds in the 2020 Palm Springs Collegiate League in Texas last month. (Contributed Photo)

Former CNMI Little League player Spencer Dickinson was selected to the 2020 Palm Springs Collegiate League All-Stars after seeing action in the summer competition in Texas for a month.

Dickinson, who last played in the Commonwealth for the Talaabwogh Falcons in the Senior League division of the Saipan Little League Baseball, was one of the only three players from his team—Snowbirds—who made it to the elite selection. The other two were Samuel Adams and Cameron French.

The third baseman played in 18 games against seven teams at the Ranger College from June 11 to July 11 and was 15-for-40 at the plate for a batting average of .375. Dickinson marked his first game in the league with a two-run homer against the LumberJacks. Besides his homer, the College of the Desert incoming sophomore scored 10 runs, seven RBIs, nine singles, and five doubles.

Spencer Dickinson, left, and his fellow CNMI Little League product Dominic Yumul pose for a photo before playing for Snowbirds. (Contributed Photo)

“I’m truly blessed to be selected as one of the all-stars out of more than 100 players and just blessed to be able to play baseball again with what’s happening around the world,” said Dickinson.

The Palm Springs Collegiate League is a summer program based in California and focuses on developing collegiate talent from throughout the U.S., according to its website. It’s also a breeding ground for Major League Baseball players like Jason Munsch—the 2018 PSCL Pitcher of the Year and Concordia record-holder for career strikeouts (281), career earned-run average (2.81) and strikeouts in a game (20)—who signed up with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent last month.

This year’s competition in the Palm Springs Collegiate League was moved from California to Texas due to safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The over 100 players throughout the U.S. were divided into eight teams and they played every day for a month. The Bombers are this year’s champions after beating the LumberJacks in the finals, 14-5.

Spencer Dickinson bends to pick up the ball during a training session with the College of Desert in California early this year. (Contributed Photo)

Bombers first baseman Jake Borst and Haymakers’ Zeb Roost were named MVPs, while Chill’s Paul Kosanovich and the LumberJacks’ Andrew Acierini took the Pitcher of the Year honors. For the rest of the All-Stars selection, five Bombers players made the list—Ryan Gervais, John McHenry, Ewan Weinberg, and Dante Caviggia. Completing the group were LumberJacks’ Cesar Cuevas, Brad Hallock, Jose Mercado, and Jake Martin; Chill’s Ernesto Figueroa, Gasper D’Anna, and Jake Biscailuz; Bluesox’s Dillion Thomas, Brice Schultz, Riley Lowry, and Andrew Savoy; Grizzly’s Trey Law, Nick Torres, and Matt DiMemmo; Northstars, Charlie Brown, Nate Bandy, and Matt Crossley; and Haymakers’ Tyler Norris and Hunter Bostater.

Meanwhile, Dickinson was flooded with congratulatory greetings for his All-Stars selection. Leading his well-wishers was his former coach with the Falcons—Manny Evangelista.

“I’m not surprise at all buddy, keep it up,” Evangelista said.

Before moving to California, Dickinson played in three divisions of the Saipan Little League and made it to the CNMI All-Star Team selections also in Major, Junior, and Senior League categories. The 2016 Finals MVP (Junior League) then suited up for Rancho Mirage High School in the De Anza League for two seasons, making him ripe for the collegiate ranks.

Dickinson had a shortened rookie season with the College of the Desert in the Inland Empire Conference of the California Community College Athletic Association due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite of the unexpected ending to his freshman year, the 19-year-old still put up impressive numbers in 23 games and was part of the Roadrunners’ starting unit.