SBL waiting for BCO’s confirmation

The Saipan Baseball League now awaits word from the Baseball Confederation of Oceania on which member nations would be joining the Oceania Under-21 Baseball Tournament.

Players who represented the CNMI in the Big League division of the Little League 2015 Asia Pacific Middle East Junior, Senior, and Big League Regional Baseball Tournament on Saipan can try out for the Under-21 team that will be formed for the Baseball Confederation of Oceania tournament.
(Jon Perez)

Saipan is set to host the inaugural U21 event, which has an age limit of 17 to 21 years old, either a week after Christmas or in early January 2016.

SBL coordinator Tony Rogolifoi said BCO would inform them immediately on how many countries will be joining.

“We’re still waiting for information from BCO and now we can’t do anything about it. BCO is also waiting for confirmation from the other countries,” said Rogolifoi.

He assured that Saipan is ready to host the tournament even though the Francisco M. “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field was not spared from damage by several typhoons that hit the island.

The lights at the Tan Ko field either need to be replaced or fixed and repairs are also needed on the surrounding fence and the batting cages.

Micronesian rivals Guam and Palau are expected to field their respective youth teams in the tournament, which is a qualifier to the second U21 Baseball World Cup set in Sinaloa, Mexico next year.

World No. 14 Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Fiji, and New Caledonia would also send teams.

Rogolifoi worked hard to bring the U21 tournament to Saipan adding that it would help in baseball’s development in the CNMI.

“The U21 tournament is a good exposure for CNMI players. So we’re hoping the top teams in Oceania would come so they could experience high level competition and learn new things from it,” he said.

Rogolifoi is hoping to form a strong unit made up mostly of players under the Big League division of the Saipan Little League program.

Players who would participate in the 2015 Triple A Youth Baseball League, which is set to open by the end of the month, have the chance to become members of the CNMI team that would be formed.

The Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Solomon Islands are the other BCO members.

New Caledonia’s Laurent Cassier is the new BCO president with Victor Langklide of American Samoa and Australian Chet Grey as vice president and secretary general, respectively.

SBL president Rose Igitol, Palau’s Temmy Shmull, and Innoke Niubalavu of Fiji are executive members.