Big League has big reason to succeed

Three squads of Saipan’s boys will board the ferry in Puerto Rico this morning destined for the shores of Tinian to take the next step of their journey to the Little League World Series in cities across the mainland, but none have more to prove than this year’s Big Leaguers.

When J.P. Sablan, Antony Palacios, John Tudela, Jesse Agulto, Franco Flores, Leerroy Dela Cruz, B.J. Nicolas, J.D. Dikitol, Jeff Saures, Oliver Secharmidal, Jordan Suel, Ryan Duenas, Patrick Alepuyo, Henry Iguel, and Tyrone Omar board the Tinian Express, they will try to accomplish what last year’s All-Stars fell one run shy of achieving when they narrowly lost out on a chance to advance to the big stage by losing in the finals to Guam, 4-3.

This time the CNMI will have the home field advantage, and manager Jess Wabol will be at the helm when the boys take to the field for their first game this Saturday, and he said that his team is up to the challenge.

“We’re ready. This is what we’ve been working on. I feel pretty good about these guys. We should come out with something good,” he said.

Wabol said that he reminded the team about last season’s heart-breaking loss that sent the CNMI’s Big Leaguers packing for Saipan instead of Easley, South Carolina, and that it should motivate his players to perform at their best.

“It should because I told them that when you get into these things, the World Series is what we’re shooting for. Going to the Regional is not going to be enough.”

Since the young men began training together at the end of the season, the manager said that he noticed that the team improved a lot overall, but especially the mental aspect of the game.

“There’s no doubt that they can do it with their playing ability. It’s the mental part that I’m putting more emphasis on.”

Wabol seems to be winning the war on the psyche as his players are excited about their chances across the channel.

“I think our team this year is much more confident in winning and I think we can play more as a team than we did last year. We have better chemistry and can work together better. Last year there were a lot of new players on the All-Stars. This year we have been playing together in three different All-Star teams,” said Tudela.

Tudela will be working his craft on the pitcher’s mound and from right field, and said that his teammates will benefit from a solid pitching staff when they face Guam this time.

First baseman Nicolas echoed Tudela’s thoughts about the team’s coming together as a unit and that one of the reasons for their bright outlook is their ability to communicate.

“It’s gonna be a fun experience and I really look forward to playing against these boys. I just hope we win, and basically communication on the field is going to be number one.

We have very good chemistry—we play like a family. We all grew up together and we all played against each other. When the All-Star selections come around we play together, so this is like our third or fourth year playing together,” he said.

If all goes as well as planned, the team will be celebrating their reunion in Easley, SC standing shoulder to shoulder among the best teams in the world.