Josai baseball team returns for 16th time

While players in the local baseball leagues are busy preparing for the upcoming season of the Saipan Major League, 55 hardballers from Josai University in Japan are taking advantage of the available time at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field, as well as the weather that the CNMI has to offer.

According to the manager of the team, this is the 16th straight year that the team has made the trip to Saipan, and the players are continuing the tradition by spending roughly three weeks honing their skills at the local home of high caliber baseball.

The players start fielding drills at 8:10am, and following a brief lunch break, move into a series of pitching and hitting drills aimed at returning them to their 2003 form as the No. 2 team in all of Japan.

The team touched down three days ago, but started transforming the Oleai Sports Complex to fit their needs almost immediately. The first order of business was to design batting cages, but when their efforts on the grass between the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium and the softball field failed, they erected eight batting areas upon the infield of the Palacios baseball field.

Once finished, four pitchers hurled tape-wrapped baseballs at hitters, while four teams of two took turns tossing balls them to their mates with bats—80 per player.

Next up was making minor repairs to the bullpen area located next to the outfield. After the twin typhoons rocked Saipan last summer, most of the corrugated tin that provided a protective barrier behind the facility was either mangled or missing. The Josai team made the most of the damaged netting in the area and put up a temporary screen that will serve their pitching practice needs throughout their trip.

Players will have the weekends off to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Commonwealth, but make no mistake, this trip is all business. The Josai team will return to their campus on Friday, Feb. 25, but their junior varsity team will take the field on Monday, Mar. 7 through Friday, Mar. 18.

DCCA site coordinator Tony Rogolifoi said that this would be a great opportunity for the local player and coaches to observe the training regimen of one of Japan’s top teams.

“They don’t mind people coming out and watching them, and players and coaches can pick up a lot by watching their drills,” he said.