Saipan Little League All-Stars unveiled

Parents and players alike have been anxiously waiting in the week since the UMDA Hustlers downed the Tanapag Braves in the finals of the Saipan Little League Baseball Association’s Major Division to find out who among them will be selected to the All-Island team.

They need wait no more, as the 15 players of Saipan’s delegation to the battle of the CNMI is complete, and preparations have already begun for the Rota Little League District Tournament later this month.

Few surprises made the list, as the selections made by the managers’ votes fell in line with the statistics sheet from the regular season and the tiebreakers. The manager of this year’s all-stars was offered to George Lieto of the Braves, while the coaching slots went to Tony Celis of the Hustlers, and Elmer Sablan.

The first pick by the managers was the unofficial league’s most valuable player Nokkie Lizama, who led all hitters with a .762 bating average, 28 runs scored, 17 doubles, and 37 runs batted in. Lizama was tied for third in triples with five, and ranked second in homeruns with five.

Undoubtedly, Lizama was also selected for his talents on the mound as the hurler allowed nine runs off of 20 hits through 31 innings on the hill to lead all pitchers with an earned run average of 1.74. Lizama also sent the most would-be hitters back to their dugouts with an umpire’s called strike three with 66 punch-outs.

The consensus second overall pick went to the heavy hitting Eric Tenorio. The “Colossus of Crush” led all long ballers with seven homeruns and went 25-for-33 to finish second in consistency with a .758 batting average, 11 doubles, and 24 ribbies.

McDonald’s heavy hitting J.D. Sablan landed the third spot in the roster with a .564 batting average and a bag full of leadership. Sablan did it all for the small fries all season, and will be a solid role player for the youngsters in Rota.

Eli Pangelinan of the Braves took the fourth spot on the roster with a .552 and Melvin Yamit gave the Church’s Chicken Bombers their only all-star in the fifth spot with an identical average.

Joel Kaipat’s three homeruns, 20 plate crossings, and .543 batting average for the Ol’ Aces were good enough for the sixth spot on the team, as was the .543 of Hustlers’ second player on the list Jonathan Tydingco. Tydingco pitched five of the six inning championship game against the Braves, and will be another arm in the stable for Saipan, while Esebei Arurang of the Dan Dan Blue Jays will be used for hit hitting, as he finished the season with an even handed average of .514.

The Blue Jays checked in with another player on the team in Anthony Salas, who went 15-for-30 at the plate to finish the season at .500, while Josh Jones reached the mark by hitting 20-for-40 to make the squad.

Jones can also pitch, as the young man from Tanapag fanned 63 batters and notched the second lowest earned run average with a 1.80. The Braves also experienced success with pitcher Chris Meyers on the hill, and the collective of coaches selected him and his 2.97 ERA and 36 strikeouts to the team. Meyers showed off his power by hitting three balls out of the park, including a clutch two-run shot in the playoffs.

McDonald’s didn’t make the championship round, but the managers agreed that a big reason for their strong finish in the season was the double threat of John Maratita. As a pitcher, Maratita had the third lowest ERA (2.55), and the third highest strikeout total with 58, but he also hit 22-for-45 for a .489 batting average.

The Twins got their second representative to the all-stars when pitcher Dave Jones was selected on the strength of his 5.15 earned run average and 43 strikeouts. Aside from knowing when to throw the right pitches, Jones knew when to make the clutch hit, as he drove in 18 runs.

The league’s top tripler also made the team as Peter Tenorio made the squad with six three-baggers. His combination of speed and power is something that the managers believe they will need to make another run toward South Williamsport, PA.

Two players who were standouts during the season missed out on their chance for the team because Peter Lieto and Lamar Iguel are 10-years-old, and SLLBA rules require the players to be between the ages of 11-12 years old.

The team also picked three alternates, but their names are with manager Lieto, Celis, and Sablan, and will only be released at such time as one of the other players is deemed unable to fulfill his duties to the team.