Saipan to host district tourney

The 2012 CNMI District Little League Baseball Tournament will be hosted on Saipan this coming June with all four divisions playing at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios and Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Ballfields.

“I want to wish all of the players in all districts a successful 2012 campaign. I also want to salute all of the managers, coaches, umpires, and volunteers for donating their time and effort to support the largest youth program in the world. I also want to give a big shout out to all of the sponsors for helping provide much needed financial assistance in light of an ailing economy” said CNMI district administrator James Ada.

After completion of the SLLBI regular season, Saipan will compete against rival all-star squads from Tinian and Rota.

This year marks the 16th consecutive episode of the event on Saipan as well as Tinian and Rota’s Little League Baseball Associations’ respective 15th and 14th anniversaries.

Rota has expanded its program this year and will be fielding three teams in its Senior and Big divisions, as well as four Major Division teams and a pair of Junior League squads.

The CNMI district tournament serves as a qualifier into the Asia-Pacific Regional Championships in July.

This year’s Major Division ASPAC will be held in Kaohsiung, Taipei; the Junior division ASPAC will be hosted for the first-time ever in Hanoi, Vietnam; and the Senior and Big divisions will both be held in Guam.

Notably, the Senior League and Big League ASPACs were originally supposed to be hosted near Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City, Philippines. However, due to the Philippines President Benigno Aquino appointing Little League Philippines district administrator Jolly Gomez to the Philippines Sports Commission, the events were handed over to organizers in Guam.

Gomez and his fellow PSC members will be tending to organizational duties in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics, which will be held this year in London, England.

An ASPAC win earns the privilege of representing the Asia-Pacific region in the coveted Little League World Series tournaments held in the U.S. mainland.

Notably, two CNMI umpires were recently approved to represent the CNMI in the Little League World Series in August. One will appear in the Big League Series in Easley, South Carolina and the other will suit up for the Junior League Series showcased in Taylor, Michigan.