{"id":327371,"date":"2020-07-31T06:06:44","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T20:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=327371"},"modified":"2020-07-31T06:06:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T20:06:44","slug":"on-to-the-next-sandlot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/on-to-the-next-sandlot\/","title":{"rendered":"On to the next sandlot"},"content":{"rendered":"
In this 2016 file photo, Heath Camacho pitches for the Braves during one of their Major division games in the Saipan Little League Baseball at the Miguel \u201cTan Ge\u201d Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (Saipan Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Little League products Tonchu Norita and Heath Camacho are aiming to play baseball off-island after unfortunately missing their last two seasons in the grassroots program.<\/p>\n

Norita and Camacho are among the many players who will be ineligible (age cut-off is 16 years old) for the Senior League division of Saipan Little League Baseball\u2019s season next year. The two Braves players would have had their farewell season this year if not for the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the competition. The Senior League division did not also have games last year, as SLLB opted to hold only the Minor and Major matches, as the Francisco \u201cTan Ko\u201d Palacios was still unplayable back then after it sustained significant damage from Super Typhoon Yutu.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so frustrating that we would not be able to play in the Little League next year, especially since we we\u2019re not able to have the Senior League for two seasons,\u201d said Camacho, who will turn 17 years old next year.<\/p>\n

CNMI Little League All-Star Team members and officials pose with their counterparts in the Philippines after their game in the 2015 Little League Asia-Pacific and Middle East Tournament in Guilin, China. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Coaches and even player have hoped that Little League International would issue a waiver to allow aging Senior League players to compete next season since this year\u2019s competition was shelved due to the pandemic. However, Little League International ruled stuck with the age requirement, leaving Camacho and company in dismay since they missed a lot of opportunities for the past two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so disappointing not to finish our last year with the Little League program. I\u2019ve been playing in the Little League since I was 9 years old so it\u2019s really hard not to play here in the past two years,\u201d Norita said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am looking at playing off-island, probably in Washington. I would love to continue playing baseball,\u201d the two-time CNMI All-Star said.<\/p>\n

Camacho is also eyeing to suit up for either a high school or college team when he moves off-island.<\/p>\n

In this 2015 file photo, the CNMI\u2019s Tonchu Norita waits for the pitch during their game against China in the 2015 Little League Asia-Pacific and Middle East Tournament in Guilin, China. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cFor now, I just want to focus on school and try my best to go to the states so I could play baseball there,\u201d the Braves pitcher said.<\/p>\n

Though their Little League stint was cut short, both Camacho and Norita were thankful to be part of the program and for the lessons and memories they had while playing for various teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy best memory in the Little League would be our championship game in my last year in the Major because I pitched in that finals and we won,\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n

The Tanapag resident was talking of their 7-6 victory over the Talaabwogh Falcons in the \u201cBattle of the North\u201d for the Major division crown in 2017. The Braves\u2019 title win foiled the Falcons\u2019 bid for a sweep that season, as the latter earlier took the Junior and Senior championships. Camacho then sweetened the upset after taking the MVP honors in the division.<\/p>\n

Braves players gather for a photo after playing in the finals of the Major division of the 2015 Saipan Little League Baseball at the Miguel \u201cTan Ge\u201d Basa Pangelinan Ballfield. (Contributed Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Norita, on the other hand, best remembered his selection to the CNMI All-Star Team\u2014in 2015 for the Major division and in 2018 for the Junior League.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went to China in 2015 and in the Philippines in 2018. It\u2019s nice to travel and play against teams from other countries,\u201d said Norita.<\/p>\n

The two players thanked their coaches\/managers, teammates, and others involved in the program, which taught them a lot of valuable lessons on and off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying in the Little League helped me stay away from trouble,\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle League taught me how to be a team player and be confident about my skills. I will definitely miss my teammates and coaches and wish them good luck next season. Enjoy Little League baseball while you can still play,\u201d Norita said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Little League products Tonchu Norita and Heath Camacho are aiming to play baseball off-island after…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":327373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-327371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}