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CNMI to form team for 18-under baseball
The best players from the Big and Senior divisions of the Saipan Little League will be chosen to represent the CNMI in the Baseball Confederation of Oceania Under-18 tournament in Guam in January 2015. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
The U18 tournament will be held at the Paseo Stadium in Agana after the BCO Executive Committee, following a meeting early August, awarded the hosting rights to Guam.
The champion will represent the Oceania region in the 2015 International Baseball Federation 18U World Championships in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture in Japan.
Players age 18 years old and under in the calendar year of 2014 are eligible to join. The deadline of the team nomination form is on Sept. 12, 2014.
The Oceania regional champion will compete against 11 other teams namely, Africa (one), Americas (five), Asia (three), and Europe (two).
Rogolifoi, the Northern Marianas Sports Association executive director, said that he plans to meet and train the team starting October.
“I already have some names in mind and they will be composed of players from the Big and Senior leagues. I want to form a strong team that will compete against the best in the region,” said Rogolifoi, who guided the CNMI to gold medals in the 2006 Micronesian Games on Saipan and 2011.
“That’s why we’re speeding things up to finish with the repairs of the [Francisco M. Palacios] “Tan Ko field. We want to start early.”
NMSA personnel are almost done with the repairs at the Tan Ko baseball field with the bulk of the money spent coming from generous contributors.
On or before Monday, Sept. 1, Laolao Bay Golf & Resort personnel are scheduled to put the infield and outfield grass.
The Oleai baseball field was the site of the CNMI’s historic win over Guam in the finals of the 8th Micronesian Games on Saipan. (Jon Perez)
