Jon Salas making waves in Boise, Idaho

If Jonathan Salas was here and still playing for the Saipan Little League he could have helped his Big League division team whether in batting, pitching, or fielding.

Instead, the former Saipan Senior League All-Star is helping the Timberline High School Wolves return to the 5A State Championships in Boise, Idaho.

The eldest son of former Saipan Little League Baseball Association president Joe and Cathy Salas of Kagman III went straight to study in Boise after CNMI’s third place finish in Pool A of the Senior League World Series in Bangor, Maine.

Salas tried out for the Wolves baseball team and was selected in its junior varsity squad where he played nine games for the 2005 SIC Champions before being elevated to the varsity level.

The Wolves varsity team has a solid program for the past eight years and they have won the SIC Championships four times and are also a three-time 5A State Champions.

Salas’ impressive statistics in the JV team earned him a spot in the varsity after nine games. He was the Wolves’ top batter in the JV level in 2007 going 13-for-24 for a .542 average and a .700 on base percentage.

He scored a total of 11 runs, made 10 RBIs, had four doubles, two triples, blasted one home run with seven stolen bases while striking out once and being walked five times to help the Wolves finish with an 11-1 record.

Salas was not only good in batting as he also finished with a 2-0 record while pitching nine innings for the Wolves, giving up no earned runs on two hits with five strikeouts, one walk, and one hit by pitch.

He is now in the lineup of the varsity team and has played in the Wolves’ 3-1 win over Centennial last April 3. He went 1-for-5 with one RBI and struck out once in that game.

The Wolves currently hold a 12-2 record and are riding on a three-game winning run after a 10-0 blanking of Centennial on April 4. The Wolves’ last loss was a 3-4 setback against Florida last March 28.

Their next game is against visiting Columbia on April 8 and will travel to Caldwell on April 10 before hosting them again on April 11.

Salas’ coach Larry Price has nothing but praises for the former Saipan Little Leaguer saying that he enjoys coaching him. “Jon is doing well with his new teammates. He just got brought up to varsity and started his first game yesterday and went 1-for-3 with an RBI. He [also] played third base and made all his plays.”

Price said Timberline is in the highest classification of high school baseball in Idaho.

He added Salas joined the tryouts in February last year and did very well earning him a starting spot in the JV team but his performances at that level prompted his promotion to the varsity team.

“Jon has a very nice swing that has line drives coming off his bat, and he has good instincts in the field and a very accurate arm.”

The switch-hitting Salas finished third in batting in last season’s Senior League division of the Saipan Little League going 20-for-39 with a .513 average while playing for the Jets.