Collegiate player eyes stint with NMI baseball team

In this Feb. 18, 2020 photo, former NMI Little League All-Star player Spencer Dickinson is seen playing for the College of the Desert during their game against the LA Valley in the Inland Empire Conference of the California Community College Athletic Association in Los Angeles. (Contributed Photo)

Former Little League All-Star player and now collegiate standout Spencer Dickinson has expressed interest in suiting up for the CNMI National Baseball Team in the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022.

Dickinson has inquired with former teammates on Saipan about the selection process and other details on the team and competition and received partial information from them.

“I would love to represent the CNMI, I would love to play in my home town and win that gold medal,” Dickinson told Saipan Tribune.

Dickinson is now based in California and is with the College of the Desert, competing in the Inland Empire Conference of the California Community College Athletic Association. The 20-year-old was part of the Roadrunners’ starting unit during his rookie season in 2019 and had high hopes for his sophomore year until the COVID-19 pandemic halted his second season with the team.

When baseball resumed mid last year as restrictions had been eased, the College of the Desert third baseman played in the Palm Springs Collegiate League and was selected to the All-Star Team. He saw action in 18 games in the summer league against seven teams at the Ranger College and was 15-for-40 at the plate for a batting average of .375

Dickinson, who made it to the CNMI All-Star Team selections in Major, Junior, and Senior League categories, is now preparing for the opening of the collegiate season in January next year.

“I am preparing for the fall ball and would definitely wait for more information about the baseball team in the Mini Games,” the lefty said.

Players warm up
Saipan Baseball League president Jay Santos said they are now working on finalizing the coaching staff so they could move forward with the preparations and selection process for the NMI National Baseball Team.

“Once this is complete, we will have everything else in place,” Santos said.

Though the coaching staff has yet to be determined, players interested in donning the colors of the Commonwealth for next year’s Mini Games have been holding pitching and catching practices at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Softball Field since Oct. 4. Practices are scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

SBL has been utilizing the “Tan Ge” field since the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield is unavailable and awaiting the long-overdue repairs from the damage it sustained from two super typhoons. The Northern Mariana Sports Association has installed lights at the “Tan Ge” field, as players are scheduled to practice from 5:30pm to 7pm.

NMI players would need a lot of catching up to get ready for the Mini Games because they haven’t played in more than a year since the pandemic struck. All eyes would be on the host team, as the last time the NMI competed in a Pacific-wide baseball competition, the islands’ bets won the gold medal. The Tony Rogolifoi-managed NMI Team defeated rival Guam, 8-4, in the finals during the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia.