Local boys making the most in Australia

Last month, four lads from Saipan embarked on a mission to improve their baseball skills by attending the Australian Baseball Academy, and by the sound of it they are doing more than they had ever imagined.

On Sunday, June 13, Matt Kintol, BJ Sablan, Daryl Ada and Herman Kintol boarded a plane bound for the land down under with their coach Jason Gay, after they were selected to attend the academy by professional baseball scout Ray Brown of the San Diego Padres organization in February.

According to academy representative Brett Pickett, the boys from Saipan are “holding their own” and have been competing well.

“The boys are athletic and strong and will come away from this academy with a much higher baseball skill level and will be better all round baseball players. They are fitting in well and are liked by all of the players,” said Pickett.

The boy’s days and nights are scheduled down to the minute. A basic daily routine has them waking up early and heading over to the Physiologist if they need some sort of medical treatment. From 7am until 9am, the boys will cycle in and out of the dining area for breakfast, and from 9am until 12pm they are on the field training. After training, the players form up into their teams and play games from 12 pm until 3pm.

When the games are completed, head back to their rooms to shower up and hit the books.

“A lot of the times we have people give them presentations on various things such as nutrition, dealing with media, public speaking, etc. I am glad that they are having a good time. It will be an experience that they will never forget,” said Pickett.

After their schooling is finished, it’s time for the boys to count sheep.

According to coach Gay, the boys are doing a fine job, and have had more opportunities to be on the field than he had expected. Sablan is currently playing on the most successful team at the academy and is getting plenty of time at the plate as the team’s designated hitter. Ada and Matt Kintol have been playing on the same team and have been on the field most of the time, being moved around to several different positions.

Gay explained that former major league all-star Chilli Davis is the batting coach at the camp and that he was “amazed” at the rapid improvement that Ada has made in such a short time. While Ada is a stud catcher in the CNMI leagues, he hasn’t yet played the position at the academy. Kintol has been all over the place, trying his hand at playing second, third, and in the outfield.

Herman Kintol is playing on the team that Gay is a part of coaching, and for the most part he is playing in the outfield almost everyday. Though he has spent the majority of his time on the field coaching first base, Gay has managed the team in two contests and is thus far undefeated.

His success has not gone unnoticed by the coaches at the academy. Gay is currently going through the coaching program, but his presence has more often than not been requested on the field, keeping him away from coaching conference. Though he is still attending the conference, he is not being required to attend all the seminars.

While the program is all business, once in a while there is a window in which the boys are allowed a brief bit of relaxation. Last week Gay took the boys to Australian zoo along with Chili Davis. The zoo is the home of television’s “The Crocodile Hunter.”

Although he was not there, the boys were able to enjoy the interactive experience in which they were permitted to pet the kangaroos and the koalas.

They boys are due back in town on Thursday, July 22, and there is no doubt that they will be lean, mean, baseballing machines.